Dimensions
130 x 198 x 6mm
Francis Crick's and James Watson's discovery of DNA - the very building blocks of life - has astounding implications for mankind's future. Not only in the scientific possibilities of cloning, life expectancy and medical research, but also in our everyday lives - in the genetic engineering of food and in forensics, for example. The discovery of DNA has also raised important ethical questions.
But what is DNA? What gateways has its discovery opened for future generations? And what of the sometimes frantic race that the scientists Crick and Watson were engaged in against other scientists to understand its construction and open up a whole new field of science? 'Crick, Watson and DNA' presents a brilliant snapshot of these two scientists' lives and work, and gives a clear and accessible explanation of the meaning and importance of the discovery of DNA, and its implications for the twentieth century and beyond.
'The Big Idea' is a fascinating series of popular science books aimed at scientists and non-specialists alike. Science is at its most exciting and gripping at moments of great discovery, and each of the books in the series looks in depth at the great moments that have advanced mankind's scientific knowledge and at the men and women who have made these huge breakthroughs in our thinking about the universe and our place in it.