Audiobook12 hours
Life's Greatest Secret: The Race to Crack the Genetic Code
Written by Matthew Cobb
Narrated by John Lee
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
()
About this audiobook
Everyone has heard of the story of DNA as the story of Watson and Crick and Rosalind Franklin, but knowing the structure of DNA was only a part of a greater struggle to understand life's secrets. Life's Greatest Secret is the story of the discovery and cracking of the genetic code, the thing that ultimately enables a spiraling molecule to give rise to the life that exists all around us. This great scientific breakthrough has had far-reaching consequences for how we understand ourselves and our place in the natural world, and for how we might take control of our (and life's) future.
Life's Greatest Secret mixes remarkable insights, theoretical dead-ends, and ingenious experiments with the swift pace of a thriller. From New York to Paris, Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Cambridge, England, and London to Moscow, the greatest discovery of twentieth-century biology was truly a global feat. Biologist and historian of science Matthew Cobb gives the full and rich account of the cooperation and competition between the eccentric characters who contributed to this revolutionary new science. And, while every new discovery was a leap forward for science, Cobb shows how every new answer inevitably led to new questions that were at least as difficult to answer. But the setbacks and unexpected discoveries are what make the science exciting. This is a riveting story of humans exploring what it is that makes us human and how the world works.
Life's Greatest Secret mixes remarkable insights, theoretical dead-ends, and ingenious experiments with the swift pace of a thriller. From New York to Paris, Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Cambridge, England, and London to Moscow, the greatest discovery of twentieth-century biology was truly a global feat. Biologist and historian of science Matthew Cobb gives the full and rich account of the cooperation and competition between the eccentric characters who contributed to this revolutionary new science. And, while every new discovery was a leap forward for science, Cobb shows how every new answer inevitably led to new questions that were at least as difficult to answer. But the setbacks and unexpected discoveries are what make the science exciting. This is a riveting story of humans exploring what it is that makes us human and how the world works.
Author
Matthew Cobb
Matthew Cobb is Professor of Zoology at the University of Manchester where his research focuses on the sense of smell, insect behaviour and the history of science. His books include The Egg & Sperm Race and acclaimed accounts of the French Resistance during the Second World War and the liberation of Paris in 1944.
Related to Life's Greatest Secret
Related audiobooks
The Secret of Life: Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, Francis Crick, and the Discovery of DNA's Double Helix Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What Is Life?: Five Great Ideas in Biology Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Brains Through Time: A Natural History of Vertebrates Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOne in a Billion: The Story of Nic Volker and the Dawn of Genomic Medicine Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Genesis Quest: The Geniuses and Eccentrics on a Journey to Uncover the Origin of Life on Earth Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Alien Worlds: The Secret Lives of Insects Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEvolution: The Remarkable History of a Scientific Theory Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Arrival the Fittest: Solving Evolution's Greatest Puzzle Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Making of the Fittest: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Invention of Prehistory: Empire, Violence, and Our Obsession with Human Origins Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Editing Humanity: The CRISPR Revolution and the New Era of Genome Editing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Endless Forms Most Beautiful: The New Science of Evo Devo and the Making of the Animal Kingdom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What Evolution Is Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mosquito: The Story of Man's Deadliest Foe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Demon in the Machine: How Hidden Webs of Information Are Solving the Mystery of Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Origins of Creativity Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Hood: Trailblazer of the Genomics Age Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Things That Go Bump in the Universe: How Astronomers Decode Cosmic Chaos Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Brain in Search of Itself: Santiago Ramón y Cajal and the Story of the Neuron Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFree Agents: How Evolution Gave Us Free Will Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mercies in Disguise: A Story of Hope, a Family's Genetic Destiny, and the Science That Rescued Them Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Transformer: The Deep Chemistry of Life and Death Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Social Instinct: How Cooperation Shaped the World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5From One Cell: A Journey into Life's Origins and the Future of Medicine Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBrainscapes: The Warped, Wondrous Maps Written in Your Brain-and How They Guide You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Man Who Made Lists: Love, Death, Madness, and the Creation of Roget's Thesaurus Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Afternoon of a Faun: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tales from the Ant World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5One in a Billion: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey through Modern-Day China Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Biology For You
Return of the God Hypothesis: Three Scientific Discoveries That Reveal the Mind Behind the Universe Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hot Zone Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind: My Tale of Madness and Recovery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Genius Foods: Become Smarter, Happier, and More Productive While Protecting Your Brain for Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Confident Mind: A Battle-Tested Guide to Unshakable Performance Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love & Wisdom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Things We Make: The Unknown History of Invention from Cathedrals to Soda Cans Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How the Mind Works Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origins of Knowledge Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: The Real Anthony Fauci Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Longevity Paradox: How to Die Young at a Ripe Old Age Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Change Your Brain, Change Your Life (Before 25): Change Your Developing Mind for Real-World Success Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All That Remains: A Renowned Forensic Scientist on Death, Mortality, and Solving Crimes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lifespan: Why We Age—and Why We Don't Have To Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Radiolab: Journey Through The Human Body Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Magic of Reality: How We Know What's Really True Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Jaws: The Story of a Hidden Epidemic Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related categories
Reviews for Life's Greatest Secret
Rating: 3.5909090000000004 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
11 ratings0 reviews