Of Flies, Mice & Men (OIPSE) - Hardcover

Jacob, Francois

3.69

70 ratings by Goodreads

9780674631113: Of Flies, Mice & Men (OIPSE)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0674631110 ISBN 13: 9780674631113

Publisher: Harvard University Press, 1999

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Of Flies, Mice, and Men is at once a work of history, a social study of the role of scientists in the modern world, and a cautionary tale of the bumbling and brilliance, imagination and luck, that attend scientific discovery. A book about molecules, reproduction, and evolutionary tinkering, it is also about the way biologists work, and how they contemplate beauty and truth, good and evil. Animated with anecdotes from Greek mythology, literature, episodes from the history of science, and personal experience, Of Flies, Mice, and Men tells the story of how the marvelous discoveries of molecular and developmental biology are transforming our understanding of who we are and where we came from. In particular, Jacob scrutinizes the place of the scientist in society. Alternately cast as the soothsayer Tiresias, the amoral inventor Daedalus, or Prometheus, conveyor of dangerous knowledge, the scientist in our day must instead adopt the role of truthteller, Jacob suggests. And the crucial truth that molecular biology teaches is that all animals are made of the same building blocks, by a combinatorial system that always rearranges the same elements according to new forms.

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Review:

Molecular biology seems to crystallise our feelings about science. The promises and threats of knowledge are made plain as we peek around the corner and see genetic counselling, genome mapping, and cloning staring back at us. Pioneering researcher Francois Jacob--who shared the 1965 Nobel Prize for medicine--offers his thoughts on the past, present, and future of science in Of Flies, Mice & Men. As informal as a memoir, yet sharp and clever in its discussions of philosophy and politics, Jacob's book breaks new ground in popular science publishing.

Not many scientists are comfortable quoting poets from Sophocles to Apollinaire, but Jacob weaves their words with his own beautiful prose to inspire the reader with new ways of thinking about science as a part of human life. His aim is not simply to retell the brief history of molecular biology but to put it in context and, more importantly, to show that this context is as important as the research itself. Jacob is one of the few scientists who recognise that science is easily abused, but that its course can't be stopped, or even slowed much. Rather than caving in to fatalism, he offers the hope that it can be guided, and he knows that a well-informed public is his best ally in this effort. The project is inspiring, if a little daunting; as he says, opening Pandora's box "condemned human beings to never-ending research." -- Rob Lightner, Amazon.com

Review:

[Franc ois Jacob] is one of the few scientists who write comprehensively and eloquently... If there were more books like this, genetics might not be under such an attack as it is now. -- Benno Mu ller "Nature (review of the French edition)" Using his own storied career as a backdrop, Jacob reveals the ways of a scientist in unraveling the mysteries of life...In seven eloquent essays, he tells, for instance, how the miniscule fruit fly revealed the passing of genetic traits and how mice became a primary organism for research. Above all, he scrutinizes the role of the scientist in society, often recalling the legacy of the ancient Greeks. On the scene of philosophizing biologists, Franc ois Jacob stands out because of his literary skill in the poetic evocation of human feelings...Drawing on his humane understanding and a lifetime of research, Jacob reflects on the deeper meaning of the practical triumphs and moral quandaries brought on by the molecular-biological revolution in the last few decades of the 20th century. -- Gunther S. Stent "Endeavour" Philosophical in both tone and content, �Jacob� somehow manages to transpose the mystery of embryonic development into an allegory for life, the Universe and everything. It's a scholarly tome, the sort of book that makes us feel intelligent without really understanding why...He manages to make molecules sound interesting by marveling at the resourcefulness of evolution, which he calls evolutionary tinkering. -- Martin Brookes "New Scientist" Franc ois Jacob received the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology in 1965 for his work on the mechanisms of gene regulation in microorganisms. "Of Flies Mice and Men," translated by Giselle Weiss, includes reminiscences about the collaboration and insights that led to the prize. But the book is more of a thoughtfully considered treatise on the mechanisms of the research scientists responsible for eliciting nature's more elusive secrets. -- Susan Wilcox "Washington Times" Franc ois Jacob made his scientific name by discovering how genes are switched on and off in bacteria, and became known as a writer for his moving autobiography "The Statue Within." In his latest book, "Of Flies Mice, and Men," he asks what decides whether a fertilized egg develops into a mouse, a fly, or a human...Jacob's thesis is that much of evolution has arisen from Nature's tinkering. Just as mechanics put new cars together by tinkering with bits and pieces from several old ones, the processes of Nature make new genes which code for proteins with new functions by putting together bits and pieces from several existing genes in new ways, or simply replacing bits and pieces in existing genes...Jacob's book is masterly in combining erudition, wit, and wisdom. It is marvelously clear in describing what we know about the fundamental questions of life and the laws that determine the growth of each species--and what we don't know. -- M. F. Perutz "New York Review of Books" Jacob won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1965 with his work on genetics, and he is a storyteller of great style, always stopping to quote from "Candide" or remind us of a Greek myth or two...This book deals in detail with revolutions in 20th-century biology in experiments on flies, mice, yeasts and so on, but Jacob...is mostly concerned with the scientist's own place in society, sprinkling the pages with anecdotes from his own working life and pensees from sociologists.--Steven Poole "The Guardian " Philosophical in both tone and content, [Jacob] somehow manages to transpose the mystery of embryonic development into an allegory for life, the Universe and everything. It's a scholarly tome, the sort of book that makes us feel intelligent without really understanding why...He manages to make molecules sound interesting by marveling at the resourcefulness of evolution, which he calls evolutionary tinkering.--Martin Brookes "New Scientist " [Francois Jacob] is one of the few scientists who write comprehensively and eloquently...If there were more books like this, genetics might not be under such an attack as it is now.--Benno Muller "Nature (review of the French edition) " Francois Jacob received the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology in 1965 for his work on the mechanisms of gene regulation in microorganisms. "Of Flies Mice and Men", translated by Giselle Weiss, includes reminiscences about the collaboration and insights that led to the prize. But the book is more of a thoughtfully considered treatise on the mechanisms of the research scientists responsible for eliciting nature's more elusive secrets.--Susan Wilcox "Washington Times " Francois Jacob made his scientific name by discovering how genes are switched on and off in bacteria, and became known as a writer for his moving autobiography "The Statue Within". In his latest book, "Of Flies Mice, and Men", he asks what decides whether a fertilized egg develops into a mouse, a fly, or a human...Jacob's thesis is that much of evolution has arisen from Nature's tinkering. Just as mechanics put new cars together by tinkering with bits and pieces from several old ones, the processes of Nature make new genes which code for proteins with new functions by putting together bits and pieces from several existing genes in new ways, or simply replacing bits and pieces in existing genes...Jacob's book is masterly in combining erudition, wit, and wisdom. It is marvelously clear in describing what we know about the fundamental questions of life and the laws that determine the growth of each species--and what we don't know.--M. F. Perutz "New York Review of Books " Written by one of the founders of molecular biology, this volume is part autobiography, part review of some key discoveries in biology, and part philosophical discussion about the meaning of those discoveries. Jacob also provides some historical background and discusses the social and cultural implications of recent advances in molecular biology. He covers much ground, but one of his key themes is the tremendous amount of information about all life that has been learned by studying model organisms, in particular, bacteria, fruit flies, and mice. Another key theme is the rapid pace of change in biological knowledge over the past few decades...A useful complement to existing library collections about the history and philosophy of science, and the social and ethical implications of modern biology.--P. Guilfoile "Choice " Jacob's text...is itself an example of combinatorial mosaics and models the very processes that he describes. He anchors his case with genetic engineering, he polishes it with classical myths and anecdotes about politicians and biologists, and he decorates his creation with observations about human good and even the arts.--James Brody"Metapsychology Online Review" (07/01/2001) On the scene of philosophizing biologists, Francois Jacob stands out because of his literary skill in the poetic evocation of human feelings...Drawing on his humane understanding and a lifetime of research, Jacob reflects on the deeper meaning of the practical triumphs and moral quandaries brought on by the molecular-biological revolution in the last few decades of the 20th century.--Gunther S. Stent "Endeavour "

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