Summary:
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA written by James D. Watson offers readers an inside look at the discovery, competitions, and relationships among Watson, Bragg, Frankin, and many other famous scientists in the science field.
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA written by James D. Watson offers readers an inside look at the discovery, competitions, and relationships among Watson, Bragg, Frankin, and many other famous scientists in the science field. The title says it all, The Double Helix is Watson's personal viewpoint of his Nobel Prize winning discovery of the DNA structure. This is also what makes his book an entertaining read, and anything but a typical "science" book. James does not hesitate about telling unflattering stories and failures of him and many scientists he worked with. He writes with a "Pepys-like frankness...one must admit that his intuitive understanding of Human frailty often strikes home", says Sir Lawrence Bragg, Watson's postdoctoral director, in the forward. James Watson does an excellent job with the details of the discovery, and at the same time, keeping the interests of the readers. The main point James tries to deliver throughout the book is how science is done. In the preface, Watson states, "As I hope this book will show, science seldom proceeds in the straightforward logical manner imagined by outsides. Instead, its steps forward (and sometimes backward) are often very human events in which personalities and cultural traditions play major roles" (Watson, p.xi). To give insight into their scientific researches, he offers supporting points in a relatable way.
Through Watson's relationships with the other scientists, the book describes several methods of science. One method is the x-ray crystallography, the cornerstone in the discoveries of molecular structures. Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin were the leading chemists in the X-ray field. The quality of the X-ray data depends on the detailed measurements of the water and other contents of the DNA samples (Watson, p. 70). However, the X-ray pictures of DNA were not large and detailed enough to clarify the number of polynucleotide chains within the molecule. Those X-ray data were compatible with two, three, even four strands of polynucleotide chains with a question of the angle and radii at which the DNA strands twisted about the central axis (Watson, p. 77). It was up to Watson, Crick, Pauling, and many others to analyze the results. Another method was the usage of plastic models to develop and test out their hypotheses. Linus Pauling and his protein model was a success of the model building method. Watson mentions that Pauling's accomplishment was a product of common sense, but not the result of complicated mathematical reasoning. "In a place of pencil and paper, the main working tools were a set of molecular models superficially resembling the toys of preschool children"(Watson, p. 51). Watson, in his discovery of the DNA structure, took account of both methods. He and Crick reviewed and attended conferences of Rosalind and Wilkins, and built DNA structure models. On the other hand, he also gives credits for the role of daydreaming and recreation for sparking fresh ideas. Most importantly, some of Watson's ideas, such as relating the crystal growing to why subunits should be helically arranged, and the idea of complementary base paring with Chargaff's rules were thought of through his recreation activities. Watson and Crick's success is a combination of these methods.
Watson makes his journey relatable is a key to explaining their discovery. It shows that even perhaps the most important scientific discovery of the 20th century is just another human effort of putting together the jigsaw puzzles. Watson reveals the details of his first failed DNA model with Crick. The first model has "three chains twisted about each other in a way that gave rise to a crystallographic repeat every 28 A along the helical axis"(Watson, p.89). By relating Crick and his failures somehow made them human-like, rather than the always-brilliant intellectuals that people associate the Nobel Prize winners with.
Watson and Crick's DNA model is a remarkable discovery in the face of modern medicine. Crick and Watson's work in the foundation for the modern science of genetics. As it says by Sir Lawrence Bragg, "The discovery of the structure by Crick and Watson, with all its biological implications, has been one of the major scientific events of this century. The number of researches which it has inspired is amazing; it has caused an explosion in biochemistry which has transformed the science." James D. Watson does an excellent job giving insight into the science world.
Through the journey with Watson and Crick, the author gets across his idea that one's interest in his or her study is a key to success. It encourages people with their weak fields like Watson himself (He doesn't like Chemistry! "I was principally interested in birds and managed to avoid taking any chemist or physics courses which looked of even medium difficulty"(Watson p.21).) that not excelling in Chemistry does not mean that they are not capable of a Nobel Prize discovery. James shares his experience with Chemistry with humor, ."..but after I used a Bunsen burner to warm up some benzene, I was relieved from further true chemistry"(Watson, p.22). The Double Helix is refreshing in comparison with other science books I have read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a must-read for anyone who is even vaguely interested in science.
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