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Life's Greatest Secret: The Race to Crack the Genetic Code
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Life's Greatest Secret: The Race to Crack the Genetic Code Hardback - 2015

by Matthew Cobb

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Reader reviews for Life's Greatest Secret: The Race to Crack the Genetic Code

From the publisher

Everyone has heard of the story of DNA as the story of Watson and Crick and Rosalind Franklin, but knowing the structure of DNA was only a part of a greater struggle to understand life's secrets. Life's Greatest Secret is the story of the discovery and cracking of the genetic code, the thing that ultimately enables a spiraling molecule to give rise to the life that exists all around us. This great scientific breakthrough has had farreaching consequences for how we understand ourselves and our place in the natural world, and for how we might take control of our (and life's) future.

Life's Greatest Secret mixes remarkable insights, theoretical dead-ends, and ingenious experiments with the swift pace of a thriller. From New York to Paris, Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Cambridge, England, and London to Moscow, the greatest discovery of twentieth-century biology was truly a global feat. Biologist and historian of science Matthew Cobb gives the full and rich account of the cooperation and competition between the eccentric characters -- mathematicians, physicists, information theorists, and biologists -- who contributed to this revolutionary new science. And, while every new discovery was a leap forward for science, Cobb shows how every new answer inevitably led to new questions that were at least as difficult to answer: just ask anyone who had hoped that the successful completion of the Human Genome Project was going to truly yield the book of life, or that a better understanding of epigenetics or "junk DNA" was going to be the final piece of the puzzle. But the setbacks and unexpected discoveries are what make the science exciting, and it is Matthew Cobb's telling that makes them worth reading. This is a riveting story of humans exploring what it is that makes us human and how the world works, and it is essential reading for anyone who'd like to explore those questions for themselves.

Details

  • Title Life's Greatest Secret: The Race to Crack the Genetic Code
  • Author Matthew Cobb
  • Binding Hardback
  • Edition First Edition
  • Pages 464
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Basic Books, New York, NY
  • Publication date 2015-07-07
  • Illustrated Yes
  • Features Bibliography, Dust Cover, Illustrated, Index
  • ISBN 9780465062676 / 0465062679
  • Weight 1.55 lbs (0.70 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.7 in (23.62 x 15.75 x 4.32 cm)
  • Category Science
  • Library of Congress subjects DNA, Genetic code
  • Library of Congress Catalogue Number 2015937254
  • Dewey Decimal Code 572.86

Media reviews

Citations

  • Choice, 01/01/2016, Page 0
  • Discover, 09/01/2015, Page 65
  • Kirkus Reviews, 05/01/2015, Page 0
  • Library Journal, 05/15/2015, Page 101
  • Publishers Weekly, 05/11/2015, Page 0

About the author

Matthew Cobb is a professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Manchester, where he studies olfaction, insect behavior, and the history of science. He earned his PhD in psychology and genetics from the University of Sheffield. He is the author of five books: Life's Greatest Secret, Generation, The Resistance, Eleven Days in August, and Smell: A Very Short Introduction. He lives in England.

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Life's Greatest Secret: The Race to Crack the Genetic Code
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Life's Greatest Secret: The Race to Crack the Genetic Code

by Cobb, Matthew

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9780465062676 / 0465062679
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Life's Greatest Secret: The Race to Crack the Genetic Code
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Life's Greatest Secret: The Race to Crack the Genetic Code

by Cobb, Matthew

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Life's Greatest Secret : The Race to Crack the Genetic Code

Life's Greatest Secret : The Race to Crack the Genetic Code

by Matthew Cobb

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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Life's Greatest Secret : The Race to Crack the Genetic Code

Life's Greatest Secret : The Race to Crack the Genetic Code

by Matthew Cobb

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  • Hardback
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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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Basic Books, 2015. Hardcover. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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Life's Greatest Secret : The Race to Crack the Genetic Code

Life's Greatest Secret : The Race to Crack the Genetic Code

by Matthew Cobb

  • Used
  • Good
  • Hardback
Condition
Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780465062676 / 0465062679
Quantity available
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Description:
Basic Books, 2015. Hardcover. Good. Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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Item price
A$10.84
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Life's Greatest Secret : The Race to Crack the Genetic Code

Life's Greatest Secret : The Race to Crack the Genetic Code

by Matthew Cobb

  • Used
  • Very good
  • Hardback
Condition
Very good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780465062676 / 0465062679
Quantity available
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A$10.84
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Description:
Basic Books, 2015. Hardcover. Very Good. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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Item price
A$10.84
Free Delivery to USA
Life's Greatest Secret : The Race to Crack the Genetic Code
Stock photo: cover may vary

Life's Greatest Secret : The Race to Crack the Genetic Code

by Cobb, Matthew

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780465062676 / 0465062679
Quantity available
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Description:
Basic Books. Used - Very Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with possible writing/highlighting. Binding strong with minor wear. Dust jackets/supplements may not be included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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A$11.36
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Life's Greatest Secret : The Race to Crack the Genetic Code
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Life's Greatest Secret : The Race to Crack the Genetic Code

by Cobb, Matthew

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780465062676 / 0465062679
Quantity available
1
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Item price
A$11.36
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Basic Books. Used - Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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Item price
A$11.36
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Life's Greatest Secret: The Race to Crack the Genetic Code
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Life's Greatest Secret: The Race to Crack the Genetic Code

by Cobb, Matthew

  • Used
  • Hardback
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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780465062676 / 0465062679
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Basic Books, 2015-07-07. First Edition. hardcover. Used: Good. 6.38x1.15x9.50. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
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Life's Greatest Secret: The Race to Crack the Genetic Code [Hardcover] Cobb, Matthew
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Life's Greatest Secret: The Race to Crack the Genetic Code [Hardcover] Cobb, Matthew

by Cobb, Matthew

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Basic Books, 2015-07-07. hardcover. Very Good. 6x1x9. Pages are clean with no markings.
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