Crick a mind in motion

"What are the moments that make a life? In Francis Crick's, the decisive moment came in 1951, when he first met James Watson. Their ensuing discovery of the structure of DNA made Crick world-famous. But neither that chance meeting nor that discovery made Crick who he was. As Matthew Cobb shows in Cr...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Cobb, Matthew (Author)
Format: Books Print Book
Language:English
Published: New York : Basic Books, 2025.
Edition:First US edition.
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Summary:"What are the moments that make a life? In Francis Crick's, the decisive moment came in 1951, when he first met James Watson. Their ensuing discovery of the structure of DNA made Crick world-famous. But neither that chance meeting nor that discovery made Crick who he was. As Matthew Cobb shows in Crick, it is another chance encounter, with a line from the writing of Beat poet Michael McClure, that reveals Crick's character: 'THIS IS THE POWERFUL KNOWLEDGE,' it shouted. Crick, having read it, would keep it with him for the rest of his life, a token of his desire to solve the riddles of existence. John Keats once accused scientists of merely wanting to 'unweave the rainbow,' but it was an irrepressible, Romantic urge to wonder that defined Crick, as much as a desire to find out the basis of life in DNA and the workings of our minds. For the first time ever, Cobb presents the full portrait of Crick, a scientist and a man: his triumphs and failings, insights and oversights. Crick set out to find the powerful knowledge. Almost miraculously, he did."--Dust jacket flap.
Physical Description:viii, 595 pages : illustrations, portraits ; 25 cm
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:9781541602885
1541602889
Author Notes:Matthew Cobb is a professor emeritus at the University of Manchester He earned his PhD in psychology and genetics from the University of Sheffield. He is the author of seven books including: As Gods: A Moral History of the Genetic Age , The Idea of the Brain , and Life's Greatest Secret . He lives in England.