Popular Science Review - In the Beginning was the Worm

Home Authors Books Subjects Events Software Features Links Newsletter Gifts Blog Write Review What's New

Review - In the Beginning was the Worm - Andrew Brown

Although it's not a biography, people are central to Andrew Brown's delightful study of the lengthy struggle to sequence the genome of a small, common-or-garden worm. Not only do you get a feel for the science involved in generating the first ever complete genome sequencing by Sydney Brenner, Bob Horvitz and John Sulston, but also for the realities of modern scientific work - down to the remarkably simple proposal that won Brenner et al a grant that would eventually lead to the Nobel prize.

The nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans isn't much to look at, though Brown assures us that it is beautiful in the right light (and through the right microscope - it is only half a millimetre long), but proved the ideal subject for this task. The job wasn't just about understanding the genetic mechanism, but required a total physical map of the worm and how its 'circuits' were wired. For this it provided the ideal balance of simplicity but with enough to it to make it worth investigating.

Any faults? He does have a tendency to repeat small blocks of text (one quote three times), and though he's great at describing what happened and the people, it's not the best book to get an understanding of what DNA sequencing really is - but these are quibbles.

The book works so well because the author isn't afraid to uncover the sometimes rather unpleasant human traits that seem to accompany great achievement is science as much as any other field. You might not love Brown's subjects as you get to know them (that's both the worms and the scientists), but you can hardly fail to be fascinated by them.

Also in hardback (standard US version is hardback):

Reviewed by Brian Clegg

DISCLAIMERS

This site has no connection with Popular Science magazine or other sites and publications with a similar name.

Much of the content of this site is written by popular science writers or friends of popular science writers. Inevitably many of the reviews in such a small community are written by or about someone we know. We always aim to be impartial in our reviews, but there is a connection which we need make clear, as there is no intention to deceive. The content of any review or article is solely the opinion of the author and should not be read or understood on any other basis. The site exists to promote popular science writing and popular science authors and for this reason should be considered promotional material, just as the editorial reviews in an online bookshop or the blurb on the back of a book should be considered promotional.

The website should not be eaten or used where it can come into contact with water.

Disagree with our review? Want to comment on a feature? Contact us at info@ popularscience.co.uk - have your say!

Part of the site