Gene Machine
The Race to Decipher the Secrets of the Ribosome
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4.3 • 18 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
A Nobel Prize-winning biologist tells the riveting story of his race to discover the inner workings of biology's most important molecule
"Ramakrishnan's writing is so honest, lucid and engaging that I could not put this book down until I had read to the very end." -- Siddhartha Mukherjee, author of The Emperor of All Maladies and The Gene
Everyone has heard of DNA. But by itself, DNA is just an inert blueprint for life. It is the ribosome -- an enormous molecular machine made up of a million atoms -- that makes DNA come to life, turning our genetic code into proteins and therefore into us. Gene Machine is an insider account of the race for the structure of the ribosome, a fundamental discovery that both advances our knowledge of all life and could lead to the development of better antibiotics against life-threatening diseases. But this is also a human story of Ramakrishnan's unlikely journey, from his first fumbling experiments in a biology lab to being the dark horse in a fierce competition with some of the world's best scientists. In the end, Gene Machine is a frank insider's account of the pursuit of high-stakes science.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Ramakrishnan, winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the ribosome, shares his excitement about the scientific process in this enlightening if pedestrian memoir. As he traces his journey from India to the United States to attend graduate school at Miami University in Ohio, through various research and teaching positions in the U.S. and England, three things become clear: Ramakrishnan is an incredibly talented scientist; he is a kind and generous person; and he is a workmanlike writer. He describes the process and challenges of mapping the ribosome, the part of every cell that enables proteins to be constructed, in almost excruciating detail (while diligently giving appropriate credit to his collaborators and competitors). He is at his best reflecting upon the nature of the scientific enterprise, as when explaining that the "willingness to challenge is the great thing about science: no matter how important a discovery, people will attack any parts of it that they think are not right." Ramakrishnan also reflects on the politics of scientific awards, including the Nobel Prize, humbly noting that many well-deserving people are overlooked. Despite this work's literary shortcomings, one can't help celebrating with Ramakrishnan when, near his story's conclusion, the call from Stockholm arrives.
Customer Reviews
Interesting but difficult read
I picked up this book hoping it would read like those of the authors whose praises covered the front ( Richard Dawkins and Siddhartha Mukherjee). It is an extremely interesting book that gives insight into the incredibly complex ribosome and the race that took place to uncover its structure. However, it may be somewhat difficult to follow for someone with limited background knowledge, like myself. However it is very inspiring to read about the tireless effort everyone involved went through to make the discoveries that awarded them the Nobel Prize.