The first third of The Double Helix introduces the main players in the research and discovery of DNA's structure. Watson blends descriptions of personalities with an account of how he arrives at the Cavendish laboratory in Cambridge, England, and begins his relationships with other scientists, both friend and foe. As a young Midwestern man on his first big adventure, Watson decides that "a scientist's life might be interesting socially as well as intellectually," and he pursues that philosophy through jaunts to the Alps as well as ' 'midnight trips to waterfront bars."
Watson's initial purpose in going to the Cavendish lab is to study the molecular structure of proteins by building three-dimensional models of them. Upon meeting Crick, whom he claims never to have seen "in a modest mood," he is excited at.....
This is a free excerpt of 135 words. This section contains 1,140 words. This
study guide contains 25,573 words (approx. 85 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Literature Guide with our The Double Helix Access Pass.
