Gene MachineGene Machine
the Race to Decipher the Secrets of the Ribosome
Title rated 4.5 out of 5 stars, based on 23 ratings(23 ratings)
Book, 2018
Current format, Book, 2018, First U.S. edition., Available .Book, 2018
Current format, Book, 2018, First U.S. edition., Available . Offered in 0 more formats"Everyone has heard of DNA--the molecule that seems to hold the secrets to all life. But by itself, DNA is little more than a blueprint for life, resting inertly within our cells. Hardly anyone, however, has heard of a ribosome. Ribosomes are enormous molecular machines, even more ancient than DNA, that translate the information in our genes into proteins. Those proteins in turn make up much of our bodies and catalyze thousands of processes within our cells. A ribosome, in short, is a machine no cell can do without. And until quite recently, how that machine worked was a mystery. This book is an insider account of the Nobel Prize-winning race to uncover the structure of this elusive molecule, told in two interlocking stories. One is a quest of fundamental biology to decipher the structure of the ribosome and show how it functions. This is no idle quest: the ribosome is the target of many major antibiotics, and its structure promises new treatments against deadly infections. The other story is the personal one, a portrait of scientists as human beings, driven as much by rivalry as by the desire to uncover nature's secrets. Ultimately, Gene Machine shows not just what it takes to win a Nobel Prize, but also reveals that who you know and how you handle them are just as important to scientific success as are brains, luck, and hard work. As riveting as it is refreshingly honest, Gene Machine is a story of ambition, achievement, and human frailty in pursuit of high-stakes science."--Dust jacket.
Title availability
About
Subject and genre
Details
Publication
- New York, NY : Basic Books, 2018.
Opinion
More from the community
Community lists featuring this title
There are no community lists featuring this title
Community contributions
There are no quotations from this title
There are no quotations from this title
From the community