DNA

Along with Francis Crick, James Watson was the discoverer of the double helix structure of the DNA molecule, realising both how it was able to reproduce itself and how, through its immense variety, it was able to pass on genetic instructions from one generation to the next. Their discovery paved the way for fifty years of explosive scientific achievement, of extraordinary importance both in strictly scientific terms and for its technological and social significance. From Dolly the sheep to GM foods to designer babies, science-related newspaper headlines have been dominated by the implications of their work. In this book, written to tie-in with a major PBS series in the US, Watson tells the story of this research and its impact on the world in which we live, from its beginnings to the present.