DNA

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Amazon.co.jp

   一般の読者に遺伝学を説明している類書は多く出ているが、本書のほかにない特徴は、あの有名なワトソン＆クリックのジェームス・ワトソンその人が著者であることだ。ワトソンと共著者のアンドリュー・ベリーは、メンデルからゲノム配列解析までの遺伝学の歴史を明確に分かりやすく説明している。また、近代科学のエキサイティングな歴史のよく知られている事実の背後にあることを、ワトソンは臨場感あふれる筆致で描き出す。彼は、遺伝子工学とクローン技術への執着を生み出した研究上の抗し難い魅力を喜々として報告してくれる。

   多くのイラストと写真を使うことで、ワトソンは、いわゆる遺伝子工学の「セントラル・ドグマ」であるタンパク質の合成の仕方が記述されているDNAコードを、いかに科学者が解読したかを、熱っぽく解説する。しかし、ここにも特許と企業が進出してきており、ワトソンはビジネスが神聖なる科学の殿堂に侵入していることについての懸念を示す。1975年以降、DNAは生命の分子構造を理解するというアカデミックな世界だけの問題ではなくなった。分子は、世間から孤立した白衣を着た科学者が住む象牙の塔の壁を乗り越え、絹のネクタイと粋なスーツを着た人々のひしめく世界へと広がっていった。

   後半の章でワトソンは、実験がどのようになされるかを理解せずに遺伝子を単にいじくりまわすだけの、彼のいうところの「人騒がせな連中」 に対して、辛らつな言葉を投げている。こうした議論によってワトソンは、科学の概念が『Silent Spring』（邦題：『沈黙の春』）以降に科学的概念を形成したという人々には嫌われることになるかもしれない。しかしながら、本書は遺伝子工学を巡る政治的な論戦の両面を網羅しており、ワトソンこそがこの主題を巡る議論の熱烈な発案者なのである。（Therese Littleton, Amazon.com）

Product Description

Fifty years ago, James D. Watson, then just twentyfour, helped launch the greatest ongoing scientific quest of our time. Now, with unique authority and sweeping vision, he gives us the first full account of the genetic revolution—from Mendel’s garden to the double helix to the sequencing of the human genome and beyond.
Watson’s lively, panoramic narrative begins with the fanciful speculations of the ancients as to why “like begets like” before skipping ahead to 1866, when an Austrian monk named Gregor Mendel first deduced the basic laws of inheritance. But genetics as we recognize it today—with its capacity, both thrilling and sobering, to manipulate the very essence of living things—came into being only with the rise of molecular investigations culminating in the breakthrough discovery of the structure of DNA, for which Watson shared a Nobel prize in 1962. In the DNA molecule’s graceful curves was the key to a whole new science.

Having shown that the secret of life is chemical, modern genetics has set mankind off on a journey unimaginable just a few decades ago. Watson provides the general reader with clear explanations of molecular processes and emerging technologies. He shows us how DNA continues to alter our understanding of human origins, and of our identities as groups and as individuals. And with the insight of one who has remained close to every advance in research since the double helix, he reveals how genetics has unleashed a wealth of possibilities to alter the human condition—from genetically modified foods to genetically modified babies—and transformed itself from a domain of pure research into one of big business as well. It is a sometimes topsy-turvy world full of great minds and great egos, driven by ambitions to improve the human condition as well as to improve investment portfolios, a world vividly captured in these pages.

Facing a future of choices and social and ethical implications of which we dare not remain uninformed, we could have no better guide than James Watson, who leads us with the same bravura storytelling that made The Double Helix one of the most successful books on science ever published. Infused with a scientist’s awe at nature’s marvels and a humanist’s profound sympathies, DNA is destined to become the classic telling of the defining scientific saga of our age.

Amazon.com Review

What makes DNA different from hordes of competitors purporting to help readers understand genetics is that it is written by none other than James Watson, of Watson and Crick fame. He and his co-author Andrew Berry have produced a clear and easygoing history of genetics, from Mendel through genome sequencing. Watson offers readers a sense of immediacy, a behind-the scenes familiarity with some of the most exciting developments in modern science. He gleefully reports on the research juggernaut that led to current obsessions with genetic engineering and cloning. Aided by profuse illustrations and photos, Watson offers an enthusiastic account of how scientists figured out how DNA codes for the creation of proteins--the so-called "central dogma" of genetics. But as patents and corporations enter the picture, Watson reveals his concern about the incursions of business into the hallowed halls of science.

After 1975, DNA was no longer solely the concern of academics trying to understand the molecular underpinnings of life. The molecule moved beyond the cloisters of white-coated scientists into a very different world populated largely by men in silk ties and sharp suits.

In later chapters, Watson aims barbs at those who are concerned by genetic tinkering, calling them "alarmists" who don't understand how the experiments work. It is in these arguments that Watson may lose favor with those whose notions of science were born after Silent Spring. Nevertheless, DNA encompasses both sides of the political issues involved in genetics, and Watson is an enthusiastic proponent of debate on the subject. The book accompanies a 5-part PBS series. --Therese Littleton