Francis Crick as the Discoverer of the Genetic Code - Essay Example

Running Head: BOOK REPORT (FRANCIS CRICK: DISCOVERER OF THE GENETIC BOOK REPORT (FRANCIS CRICK: DISCOVERER OF THE GENETIC of Writer] [Name of Institution] Abstract This paper intends to present a comprehensive book report on famous British, prize winning author, Matt Ridley's work in the field of Biological science, Francis Crick: Discoverer of the Genetic. Crick is a well known British scientist who in collaboration with an American investigator James Watson, researched and first presented the double helix structure of DNA. This reports provides the details about how Ridley presents the background of this famous scientist, how was he activated and got interested in Biology and finally reached his achievement, his career in Cambridge and association with other scientists etc. BOOK REPORT (FRANCIS CRICK: DISCOVERER OF THE GENETIC CODE) A number of renowned writers are being currently commissioned by the Eminent Live series of short biographies to write and arrange the biographies of the famous persons. For this excellent biography of Francis Crick, this has worked considerably well. Francis Crick's significant scientific contributions and importantly his personality are being presented to the readers by this work of Ridley. He expressed that it was quite difficult to discuss about Francis with certainty as he was a bit private person and didn't usually shared his gossips, moods and biases or his detailed daily life in his writing or work. Even then he wasn't an unfriendly introvert, as he always enjoyed the company of his close friends, colleges and practices a healthy social life when he wasn't in the laboratory. But he ignored fashionable attention and icon as crude and excruciating to hold. He usually kept himself isolated as his close circle was limited to those intellectual personalities the company of whom he perceived as vital for his own learning. This behavior was quite consistent over his entire life and being referred as "dyadic pairing" by Ridley. Very essentially, this habit enabled him to bounce suggestions from his close companion the opinion and judgment of whom he considered trustable. His immediate reference board was Georg Kreisel and a prominent student Wittgenstein. Jim Watson when in 1950s they explored the detailed arrangement of the DNA. While many of the theoretical underpinnings of molecular biology and especially the nature of genetic code Sydney Brenner followed in the 1960s. Later on when Crick shifted to the California's Salk Institute, he due to his dyadic pairing, and as he moved his concentration to neurobiology stuck up with Christ of Koch. His career actually began as a physicist. He was sent to work at the Admiralty and therefore pulled out from school quite early, as he was made to investigate he functioning and detection of mines during the years of war. Specifically, he discovered methods in which the acoustic and magnetic mines provided strong resistance to the ships passing by. Later he decided never make efforts in the field of nuclear weaponry when the atomic bombs were dropped at the Nagasaki and Hiroshima. There afterwards he began his PhD, just before the war, on the tackiness of water. But later when the war was over he again shifted and moved on to the life sciences as he wanted to apply his knowledge of physics and whatever he possessed to be applied to the principles of life. He therefore chose the x-ray diffraction and as in those days most of the scientists perceived the proteins as the likely genie material, he was requested to study the structure of protein, specially the hemoglobin. He was introduced to Watson in the 1950s. After their meeting they immediately shifted to the DNA as according to Watson thought it was quite necessary for the further study of the gene. A very excellent job is being performed by Ridley while describing that how they worked it and why Franklin, Wilkins and Pauling failed to do so. In order to deal with the coding problems Crick spent next ten years if his life. The importance of his paper in 1958 was pointed by Ridley i.e. On Protein Synthesis {Symposia of the Society for Experimental Biology 12:138-163). This book is subtitled as "Discoverer of the Genetic Code" by Ridley. Although the code actually was worked by the Heinrich Matthaei and Marshall Nirenberg by the organic chemical synthesis of synthetic RNA molecules, the foundation of this work was the concept given by Brenner and Crick which was demonstrated in their studies of phage mutagenesis by the help of acridine used to deleted or add base pairs in the gene. He further writes that when he was active in the late 1950s and the early 1960s Crick was probably the most dominating scientist in the thinking of the genetic code. As discussed earlier the molecular genetics were left by Crick when the genetic code was worked out and then he shifted to the neurobiology. He strongly believed that the mind was a perfect creation of neurons therefore he discovered the ways that in which the field of neurobiology could aid to solve out the ways in which the brain carries out its work in his book The Astonishing Hypothesis: The Scientific Search for the Soul (1994. New York: Scribner). Similarly as to Max Delbruck explored the exploration for a molecular principles for a simple phototropic reaction to light by the water mold through a method known as Phycomyces was indefinable, Crick on the other hand also came across that it was difficult than what was expected that light penetration by the help of molecular techniques was possible into the brain. In addition was either not too young wasn't prepared to incorporate into his applied knowledge the novel opportunities relative genomics and the analysis of the genes of the nervous system that is now showing its developments in the 21st century. Over his entire grown up life Crick was strictly against the supernatural aspects of science. He always remained comfortable as an agnostic and always discriminated science from the elements, influences and activities from the sympathy for paranormal elucidation or experiences. He was usually happier from leaner and experiencing from the advances which he got from his own insights giving him larger discoveries rather than just reading on and on the details and facts of sciences. (8768) The story of how they were able to work out the organization of the DNA and how they started the novel field of molecular biology is so well explained by Ridley that it captures all the excitement and pleasures of the expedition of excellent discoveries and also elucidates the problems and struggles they came across in having reached to this position (a different point of view is taken in the great scientific autobiography of Ridley, The Double Helix). However, the fissure between shaping the configuration of DNA and accepting the precise role of DNA in biology was gargantuan, and the subsequent twenty five years of Crick's life was dedicated to increasing the thoughts that now represent the fundamentals of molecular biology; these are namely the mRNA, the genetic code, and the transformation of mRNA into proteins. Ridley evidently describes the narration of these advances and Crick's fundamental role in them and then summarizes the last quarter of a century of his life at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California, where Crick had a second, but less innovatory, profession investigating the brain. Moreover one surprising thing is such a piece of work wasn't done before. His achievement clearly explains that he was after all larger than life, as what he had achieved by the time he was fifty most can only dream of. As he lived on for another thirty eight year he was quite easily available to the potential hagiographers. How the conjunction of the two noisiest scientists of the later twentieth century was managed by the Almighty in which Crick didn't believe. Why was his contributions regarding the triplet code were ignored by Nobel Committee and he wasn't awarded a second prize for this Then there are ones who argue that a third one wouldn't have been seen as inappropriate. How was it possible that such an exciting and well determined career was pursued until the mid thirties and was it that it suddenly flourished What would have been the reasons which caused someone who is aged sixty to abscond a foreign country, to work on a project about which he had negligible knowledge, and go to a place that is about five thousand miles away from the Eagle pub. His grandfather had association with the Charles Darwin and the data for Darwin's last publication were also produced by him. But actually the case was this that most of his antecedents were in business of retailing and shoe making. This book has done quite good job in clarifying some misconceptions that have developed. Before the DNA project Maurice Wilkins had been a very close friend and it was often the case that he used come at their house and cooked dinner for them. Moreover Rosalind Franklin was another very close friend of Odile and Franklin, her closeness could be seen by the fact that after her cancer operation she went on to recover at their house in Cambridge. The early career of Crick was like many of generation were affected by the war, including the most prominent Max Perutz. It can fairly be said that he had a quite distinguished war as he saved numerous lives by discover that how the mines at sea can be detonated safely. It also confirms others; his frequent whinny of a giggle, his talent to talk the back legs off a donkey, his incapability to fiddle with for those slower on the uptake than he was (and this included Nobel Laureates like Bragg). He needed to ignite off others - Brenner, Watson and Wilkins are probably the best examples, but other than these there were a lot of others. He wanted a very sounding board and actually also had it, as his colleagues had to be brave enough to tell him forcefully that he was wrong when he actually was and also patient enough to tolerate Crick's any justified obliteration of any opinion or elucidation which wasn't strong enough to face his sharp-edged analysis. This can be seen from the explanation of the lecture in 1957 at the Society for Experimental Biology in Canterbury. This lecture was a supreme example of his forceful opinion, as in this lecture he perfectly explained that how the proteins are being given rise, without the help of any experimental support. From this it can clearly be seen that science does possesses the potential of greater historic moments and is not only limited to late hours working in the lab and examining journals and literature in the library. The book also discussed that his firm in attitude integrity is not common; this can be seen by the fact that in addition to the knighthood he refused a number of honorary titles as he thought that these were just merely sparkling jewelry. At Churchill when he found that they intended to build a chapel he resigned his fellowship. He didn't go to many of the different centennial revels for the double helix, even though of course he did commission a helix for his house in Cambridge which he referred to as the Golden Helix. Moreover, when came across that most of the mendicants used to sell it afterwards he refused to give out any autographs without donation to the Salk Institute. There is one noteworthy lacking in the book that is the absence of an index and or the listing of the scholarly references, this probably because this book is intended for a broader array of audience. Even though there is little effort to keep the book small in size, even then the biographical account is an excellent piece of writing and quite an accurate and returning reflection of the mind and career and works of Crick. It can be easily observed from his writing that the write himself is an expert in the field and he had a considerable level of associations with family and friends which were an excellent source support. The outcome is a most pleasurable approaching into the intelligence of a gigantic understanding. The problems, without him would certainly have been solved ultimately, but the amount of confrontations he subjugated still takes ones breathe away. The concise biography is a kind of its own, reasonably dissimilar from a packed assessment of someone's time and life and therefore must be adjudicated by its own values. As a brief biography, Ridley's book is magnificent and thrives not only in arranging the crucial proceedings of Crick's life but also giving background by recounting the methodical specifics and ideas implicated and the people who were essential to him. References Ridley, M. (2008) Francis Crick: Discoverer of the Genetic Code, Harper Perennial, ISBN000721331X, 9780007213313. Read More