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| | Features | ISBN13: 9780465043330Condition: NewNotes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
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| | Description | Drawing the Map of Life is the dramatic story of the Human Genome Project from its origins, through the race to order the 3 billion subunits of DNA, to the surprises emerging as scientists seek to exploit the molecule of heredity. It’s the first account to deal in depth with the intellectual roots of the project, the motivations that drove it, and the hype that often masked genuine triumphs. Distinguished science journalist Victor McElheny offers vivid, insightful profiles of key people, such as David Botstein, Eric Lander, Francis Collins, James Watson, Michael Hunkapiller, and Craig Venter. McElheny also shows that the Human Genome Project is a striking example of how new techniques (such as restriction enzymes and sequencing methods) often arrive first, shaping the questions scientists then ask. Drawing on years of original interviews and reporting in the inner circles of biological science, Drawing the Map of Life is the definitive, up-to-date story of today’s greatest scientific quest. No one who wishes to understand genome mapping and how it is transforming our lives can afford to miss this book.
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| | Product Details | | Author: | Victor K. McElheny | | Hardcover: | 384 pages | | Publisher: | Basic Books | | Publication Date: | June 22, 2010 | | Language: | English | | ISBN: | 046504333X | | Product Length: | 9.5 inches | | Product Width: | 6.6 inches | | Product Height: | 1.24 inches | | Product Weight: | 1.35 pounds | | Package Length: | 9.13 inches | | Package Width: | 6.14 inches | | Package Height: | 1.42 inches | | Package Weight: | 1.37 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 2 reviews |
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 2 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Human Genomics Oct 08, 2011
By STEPHEN W TOBEY
I finished reading Drawing the Map of Life: Inside the Human Genome Project by Victor McElheny. This fascinating book covers the Human Genome Project (HGP) from its esoteric origin with the double helix structure of DNA by James Watson and Francis Crick through the public genome research and private ventures of Francis Collins and Craig Venter, et.al. It is a testament to the trials and tribulations that ultimately brought together some of the best scientific minds for the collaborative betterment of mankind. This project, perhaps more than any other in history, demonstrates the push-pull and often adversarial relationship between academia and private industry can lead to outstanding results.
McElheny's involvement not only as a science reporter, but as coordinator of human genetics conferences from the early days of the project, gives you the sense that he really knows the people that the book is written about. His storytelling style draws you into the often complex subject in a compelling way. When the project began, the effort required to sequence 3 billion nucleotides (subunits) was mind-numbing and beyond the imagination of most of the scientific community. It took the vision and dreams of the committed few to convince the many, that not only was the project worthwhile, but that the estimated cost of $1 per nucleotide, could be achieved. In comparison, the roughly $3 trillion spent annually on health-care in the United States, this modest investment of $3 billion over the 20 years of the big-science human genome sequencing project smacks of under-investment. Surely vindicated in retrospect, it also serves as a reminder that big-science conducted openly in the public domain has far reaching implications to global well-being.
It is truly amazing what humanity can accomplish when the spirit of scientific collectivism moves it. Individual egos and petty aspirations of glory coupled with corporate profitability can conspire to unravel even the most altruistic of goals, but even these can be managed given the right conditions and leadership. If you are interested in the subject, as most educated people I know are, add this book to your reading list. It restored my trust that the National Institute of Health (NIH) had the necessary guidance and noble aspirations worthy of our nation.
2 of 6 found the following review helpful:
A powerful pick for any science or general collection Sep 19, 2010
By Midwest Book Review
DRAWING THE MAP OF LIFE: INSIDE THE HUMAN GENOME PROJECT offers a fine case study for how science is done in the real world, considering the scientific surprises that have overturned ideas of what a gene or genome is and does. From ongoing conflicts in definitions and approaches to new applications made possible by the Human Genome Project, this is a powerful pick for any science or general collection.
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