For the Science Skeptic: A Living Book That Might Just Win You Over
A Book Review
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA by James D. Watson explores the author's deeply personal story as much as the often-frantic race to the remarkable scientific discovery of the secret of life, the double helical structure of DNA. So much of what we learn of scientific discovery and achievements is often sterile and impersonal, just the facts to be memorized and regurgitated on a standardized test. James Watson's book is different. He candidly shares his raw, firsthand experiences and the individual and necessarily collaborative processes involved with the scientific method. Watson welcomes the reader into everything from judgments regarding his overly American haircut that often seems out of place in the proper English academic setting at the University of Cambridge to the complicated inner workings of the helical DNA structure. Through it all, he offers a decidedly human narrative surrounding the discovery of the DNA structure. Watson's book perfectly exemplifies what philosopher and educator Charlotte Mason calls a "living book." And as Charlotte Mason says of living books, “ideas must reach us directly from the mind of the thinker, and it is chiefly by means of the books they have written that we get into touch with the best minds.”
James D. Watson's vulnerable approach sheds light on the discovery of DNA's structure and what it tells us about our collective human identity. Our understanding of the building blocks of life, symbolized by DNA, is at the core of literature, art, and the humanities. The value of DNA far surpasses the laboratory, and the pages of most dry-as-dust textbooks found in today's classrooms. Without it, we would be missing an integral part of understanding ourselves and those around us. We would not feel whole.
Whether he intended to or not, Watson also raised ethical questions about the competitive nature of scientific discovery. He admitted to using a fellow scientist, Rosalind Franklin's X-ray images without her full knowledge or consent. She died at the age of 37, five years after the discovery, and she received minimal recognition for her part in the discovery process and was portrayed as difficult and often cantankerous without being able to contribute her side of the DNA story. Her colleagues received the Nobel Prize, but she will not be remembered with the award, as it is not given posthumously. In some ways, by authoring this book, Watson gave credit where credit was due, even if it came after the fact.
Watson's evident desire to uncover DNA's structure first and achieve fame and recognition humanized the scientific process while exposing scientists' competitive, self-seeking, and cutthroat experience. The author's underdog story invites the reader into the delicate balance between personal ambition and the desire for collective progress. In this page-turning narrative, the reader is captivated by the sometimes-cocky young scientist's journey, navigating through failures, disappointments, and everyday life in pursuit of one of the most significant discoveries of our time and possibly all time. Whether he is discussing his lack of salary for the upcoming academic year or the beautiful French woman across the dinner table, the intimate lens of the author drives the reader to become emotionally invested. It often feels as if one has just sat beside their dear friend as they enthusiastically share the details of their latest accomplishment over a cup of tea.
Twenty-something scientist James D. Watson, along with his University of Cambridge colleague Francis Crick, wanted to discover the structure of DNA to understand genetic information storage and replication. While DNA was known to be responsible for heredity, no one had identified the molecule's exact structure. Watson and Crick tackle the problem of how the nitrogenous bases (adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine) paired with each other in a previously unknown double-stranded helical structure, and Watson writes about the science in such a way that almost any engaged reader can understand the more challenging scientific explanations. Oddly, science often takes a backseat in the story, but science is still there in an authentic and easily understandable way. He shares his story in a way that inspires readers to learn more about the story of DNA and its structure and the implications of that structure on biology. In other words, this book could light a fire of discovery in a more reluctant science student.
Watson and Crick were not the only scientists in the early 1950s DNA race. Along with Rosalind Franklin, Scientists Maurice Wilkins and Linus Pauling were furiously dissecting the DNA structure problem on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. As we have often seen in scientific discovery, more than one scientist discovers similar information simultaneously. And as the brilliant mathematician and philosopher Henri Poincaré said, "The creative mind is not one that simply has more new and important ideas. It is a mind that simply has more ideas and works faster in eliminating the uninteresting ones." The discovery of DNA's structure was a race between multiple creative and brilliant minds to the finish, and James D. Watson and Francis Crick were the underdogs in the minds of the scientific community.
Watson does an excellent job of presenting the big picture of the discovery of the double helix. Along with Franklin, Wilkins worked at King's College London and used X-ray crystallography to study DNA. However, Franklin's images confirmed the helical structure, and Wilkins shared those images without her consent. In the United States, Pauling previously discovered the alpha helix structure of proteins. That discovery inspired Watson and Crick to pursue helical structure.
Also, scientists Erwin Chargaff and Jerry Donohue impacted the discovery of DNA structures with their work on DNA bases and base-pairing rules. While Watson included the work of his contemporaries as part of the story, he did not include the revolutionary and vital discoveries of past scientists who were instrumental in laying the foundation for finding DNA's structure.
Without the combination of genetics, chemistry, and X-ray crystallography, Watson and Crick would not have had the evidence and data to finalize the DNA structure. American scientist Pauling requested the X-ray evidence at one point in the story and did not receive the pictures he requested. With that information, he may have beat Watson and Crick, as he had previously suggested a triple helix structure in one of his published papers. In his story, Watson's description of those moments vividly portrayed the tensions between the need for collaboration or even the necessity of it in the scientific community and the desire for personal accomplishment as an individual scientist. He showed that while many scientists are often working on the same problem, only a few get the final credit and recognition that inevitably come with the ultimate solution to the problem.
Even with the anticlimactic conclusion and occasional moments of hyperbole, Watson's account of his journey to discover the structure of DNA is a compelling living book worth reading. His writing style and intimate storytelling draw the reader in, and the book quickly becomes one that is not easily put down. While Watson's book has yet to stand the test of time, as it was originally published in 1968, it does provide a fascinating option for a reluctant science student or anyone who cannot get excited about biology, DNA, or the discovery of DNA's structure. Watson's book makes the scientific process feel human, accessible, exciting, and captivating, feelings rarely associated with science and seldom found in scientific literature. Furthermore, after reading the closing thought he shared while looking out of a Paris hotel window, one might ask Watson if he regrets the treatment and portrayal of his fellow scientists after realizing the importance of their contributions to his impactful discovery.
Angelica L. Kajiwara 2024
Bibliography
Charlotte Maria Mason. 1906. Home Education.
Gateway to the Great Books: Ten-Volume Set. 1990. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Watson, James D. 2011. The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA. London: Phoenix. (Orig. pub. 1968.).
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