Previous articleNext article FreeGeneticsLife’s Greatest Secret: The Race to Crack the Genetic Code. By Matthew Cobb. New York: Basic Books. $29.99. xiv + 434 p. + 16 pl.; ill.; index. ISBN: 978-0-465-06267-6 (hc); 978-0-465-06266-9 (eb). 2015.Anthony J. DellureficioAnthony J. DellureficioUniversity Libraries & Archives, New School, New York, New York Search for more articles by this author University Libraries & Archives, New School, New York, New YorkPDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmailQR Code SectionsMoreThe current field of genetics represents a diverse arena combining numerous aspects of science and extending into almost every area of research and scholarship. Nearly every branch of this science is predicated on understanding the substance and role of the “gene” as a functional unit. Although there will undoubtedly be much more to learn about the gene for a very long time to come, through much of the history of genetics, the “gene” represented a placeholder term. The “gene” represented the idea of pieces of a code that could define the structure of life as we know it. Life’s Greatest Secret recounts the work that went into unveiling the nature of the “gene” and unlocking the code it employs to express the message of DNA.Much like the 1968 award-winning classic The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA (New York: Atheneum), by James D. Watson, Life’s Greatest Secret provides and accessible account of work and discoveries in the field of genetics. Where The Double Helix focuses on Watson’s personal involvement in the revelation of the structure of DNA, Life’s Greatest Secret emphasizes a much broader history, less focused on personality and more on historic discoveries. Beginning with hereditary studies in the early 19th century, which emerged from the European Agricultural Revolution through the pursuit of DNA as the molecular substance of genetics, Cobb ultimately focuses on the race to understand the coded language of genes, the basic functional units of heredity. Written primarily in chronological order with chapter breaks that carve out historic periods of research, the author presents a comprehensive history of genetics.The text itself is understandable and flowing, and contains numerous diagrams, charts, and illustrations. Although still technical, Cobb’s descriptions allow readers to easily grasp the concepts of historic genetic research. The work also includes a section of glossy photographs bound in the center of the book.In many ways, the author’s enthusiasm for the topic of his work shines through. He cleverly bookends the main portion of the text with pages reading “AUG” and “UGA,” start and stop codons respectively, indicating the beginning and end of the message he wishes to deliver. Furthermore, with a thoughtful dedication to recently deceased colleague and renowned historian John Pickstone and a conclusion that ties in Pickstone’s magnum opus Ways of Knowing: A New History of Science, Technology, and Medicine (2001. Chicago (IL): University of Chicago Press), Life’s Greatest Secret is clearly a labor of love for Cobb and his personal interest enhances the scholarship of the work. With over 100 pages of post material, including glossary and acronym definitions, further reading, a bibliography, endnotes, illustrations, and index, this work is an excellent resource for both veteran scholars as well as casual readers with a general interest in the history of genetics. Previous articleNext article DetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Quarterly Review of Biology Volume 92, Number 1March 2017 Published in association with Stony Brook University Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/690884 For permission to reuse, please contact [email protected]PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.
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Jun 29, 2017
Joshua Hollands 
Open Access