For the Love of Enzymes: The Odyssey of a Biochemist by Arthur Kornberg, Harvard UP, pp 336, Pounds sterling 23.95
'CREATION of life rated best of science stories in 1967 . . . human heart transplant second.' When Arthur Kornberg and his group synthesised self-replicating DNA, the press went wild. Although by the mid-1960s the structure of DNA was known and its ability to replicate had been observed many times, Kornberg's landmark experiment demonstrated from first principles how DNA is constructed and confirmed people's idea about how it worked, not to mention providing a rich seam of new discoveries to come. In his wonderful autobiography, Kornberg takes the reader on a journey through his scientific life. Always modest, yet with dedication and intensity apparent on every page, Kornberg's account is more gripping by far than the half-understood hyperbole of the hack.
For Kornberg, the roots of molecular biology lie in ...
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