The Sequence: Inside the Race for the Human Genome - Softcover

Davies, Kevin

3.27

15 ratings by Goodreads

9780753813164: The Sequence: Inside the Race for the Human Genome

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0753813165 ISBN 13: 9780753813164

Publisher: Phoenix, 2002

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THE SEQUENCE is the definitive account of what has been described as the single most important scientific breakthrough of modern times - the elucidation of mankind's complete genetic script. It is a story in which science, politics, business and society meet head on. At its heart is the race between the $3 billion Human Genome Project led by the brilliant geneticist Francis Collins, and a renegade biotech company founded by the scientist-entrepreneur J. Craig Venter. This riveting book takes the reader into the labs and lives of these and other researchers who in late 2000 completed the first draft of the human genome. Regardless of who 'won' the race, the stakes involved in this remarkable work are staggeringly high.

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Review:

What makes science happen? The confluence of politics, commerce and the age-old quest for knowledge is nowhere better seen than in the ongoing Human Genome Project. Kevin Davies, founding editor of Nature Genetics, picks apart the personalities and technologies involved in the great sequence race in The Sequence: Inside the Race for the Human Genome. Written not long after President Clinton's premature 2000 announcement of the Project's completion, it assesses the state of public and private genomic knowledge during what Davies calls "halftime". He is in a unique observational position; as a prominent scientific journalist, he has had unparalleled access to the scientific figures involved. Through interviews with HGP director Francis Collins, rogue scientist/entrepreneur J. Craig Venter and many other scientists and insiders, Davies illuminates the often-tortured processes that contributed to the speedy sequencing of most--but not quite all--of our genes in just a few short years. Shifting styles characterise the different storylines: technological, political and intensely personal tales unite under the author's direction without ever alienating the reader. The book is a bit softer on Venter than many scientists (who may perceive him as traitorous or, worse, too hasty to publish) would like, taking the position that his shotgun approach and competitive spirit improved the project without sacrificing quality. Conversely, Davies sits out the gene-patenting controversy, offering all sides a fairly equal voice but never quite finding sympathy with any of them. Summing up his subject, Davies reports:

If the double helix is the prevailing image of the twentieth century, just as the steam engine signified the nineteenth century, then the sequence--the vast expanse of 3 billion As, Cs, Gs, and Ts--is destined to define the century to come .... The childhood of the human race is about to some to an end.

These are strong words, but few other fields provide a stronger basis for such hope. The Sequence gives us the chance to catch up with the present while the future races on. --Rob Lightner

Review:

“Consistently engaging, full of interesting perceptions and overflowing with enthusiasm ... a highly entertaining account of [the] ‘race’.” -- Steve King, The Spectator

“Davies chronicles the events with verve and authority. He gives many striking examples of what DNA sequences have already taught us.” -- Walter Gratzer, Times Higher Education Supplement

“Davies has done a superb job ... a tantalizing glimpse of the ethical perils and technological possibilities awaiting humanity.” -- Nick Owchar, Los Angeles Times

“Many good little stories in this history of contemporary genomics [presented] in clear language that neatly demystifies many scientific complexities.” -- Paul Raeburn, Business Week

“Savvy ... an admirable narration of how science and scientists work in the real world.” -- Kirkus Reviews

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