DNA (Abridged): The Secret of Life Audiobook

" Since I'm in love with DNA, I was thrilled to read a book by the scientist credited with discovering it and it's unique properties. "

" Decent. Skipped over some details that I thought were important and focused a little too much on the people involved and their stories. Good to hear it from the perspective of the guy that discovered the double helix though. "

" I gave this book 4 stars because it really is an excellent history of genetics from one of the co-discovers of DNA, James Watson. I have used this book in some papers and in my Genetic Engineering talks because Watson is the quintessential reductionist. He truly believes that everything boils down to our chemistry; his language does not hide just how sacred this view it to him. The reductionist logic will always break down for many reasons, but as an apologist this book was very helpful in understanding how the history of genetic engineering reveals this awe for the chemical components. "

" Fascinating review of the dramatic impact of DNA research on society commemorating the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the double helix written by Dr. Watson himself and a collaborator. "

" James Watson shares some anecdotes and teaches history of DNA discoveries "

" Not only is this superbly written, but it is fairly exhaustive. The look at the politics behind scientific ventures is intriguing and Watson spares no punches towards Crick, although he does it rather tactfully. The questions raised in the end are also thought provoking and extremely pertinent. "

" i read this a while ago, maybe back in high school? i'm not really into overly scientific books and whatnot, but this one was really interesting. watson makes it a fun, enjoyable read even if you aren't into academic types of books. "

" James has captured the nature of why he chose genetics as his core work. He accounts the details as well as providing some context as the key investigators toward the world of biotechnology as we know it now. "

" It was fun to read, and it was a good review for me since I hadn't had many hard science classes for a few years when I read it. The end becomes kind of preachy, but the rest of it totally revived my love for genetics. "

" Remarkable book. Filled with all kinds of information. After reading this book, you get a fuller insight of how magnificent DNA is and the importance of it. It also gives an understanding of how scientists and clinical researches test DNA for medical advancements. "

" a good book tot basic info but a lot of info in the book seemed untrue i would take what this book says with a grain of salt "

" this book will change our mind sets.... "

" Read this as a genetics undergrad and it was one of those books that confirmed my love of the subject, along with The Seven Daughters of Eve: The Science That Reveals Our Genetic Ancestry. A fascinating area! But poor Rosalind Franklin where is her Nobel Prize??? "

" Read a few chapters. Informative, if a little didactic. "

" Great book by one of the original scientists behind the major breakthroughs. Biology is one of the most fascinating subjects to me, and to hear it spelled out in terms of basic chemical relationships (which this book does) is extraordinarily interesting in my opinion. "

" Great book. Part autobiography, part science. Explains why DNA is part of our understanding of evolution. "

" This is a very instructive book and was clearly written for such a complex subject. "

" It is a great book because the author tried to make things understandable and interesting. History, stories, scientific explanation, the opponents and the proponents views all together came up with this wonderful book. "

" an odd book with multiple perspectives telling the store of how DNA was discovered. It is actually quite interesting of a read. "

" I love this book. This is my third reading. "

" A great book about Scientific discovery. "

" Considering the scientific nature, it was exciting to read about the discoveries of Watson and Crick "

" Revealing, personal and approachable. Despite the tell-all tone, I found it somewhat hard to get a fix on the author himself; he seemed to downplay his own role, intelligence and personality. Nevertheless, it was a good read (heh). "

" Good, I got really excited at parts that convince me I'm a geek. Well written, for scientists and the layman. "

" A very short, very entertaining read about the discovery of the structure of DNA, written from the subjective point of view of one of the main characters (and Nobel winners). I'm glad I read this. "

" An intriguing account of science races and academic politics. "

" I love this book - the drama of the discovery of DNA, with a biased point of view, but oh so fascinating. As a biologist, I loved reading and watching the pieces come together. Dr. Watson paints a vivid picture of the characters and events in this story. "

" A thoroughly enjoyable tale that shows what a lot of science is really like. "

" This book was kind of "DNA for Dummies" for me. Having not gotten the science gene, I was generally wary of anything in that field. But this book made the discovery of DNA strands fascinating. "

" interesting to read, but Watson is kind of a condescending jerk, which takes away from it a bit "

" Hard to understand without good knowledge of chemistry/biology. But fascinating nevertheless to follow the struggle to discover DNA "

" Highly opinionated memoir of the discovery of the structure of DNA. "