The Double Helix Study Guide

The forward by Sir Lawrence Bragg summarizes what the book will be about, discussing first the scientific importance of Francis Crick and James Watson's Nobel Prize-winning discovery of the structure of DNA. Second, it discusses the ethical dilemma that a scientist faces when a colleague has long been working on a problem, and the scientist thinks he or she can solve that problem, based on the colleague's unpublished work. This was a dilemma that Watson faced. Finally, Bragg emphasizes the human interest of the story, which is an autobiographical account of Watson's impressions instead of a historical work. (read more)