by Matthew Cobb

Synopsis: Life’s Greatest Secret is the story of the discovery and cracking of the genetic code. This great scientific breakthrough has had far-reaching consequences for how we understand ourselves and our place in the natural world. The code forms the most striking proof of Darwin’s hypothesis that all organisms are related, holds tremendous promise for improving human well-being, and has transformed the way we think about life.

Matthew Cobb interweaves science, biography and anecdote in a book that mixes remarkable insights, theoretical dead-ends and ingenious experiments with the pace of a thriller. He describes cooperation and competition among some of the twentieth-century’s most outstanding and eccentric minds, moves between biology, physics and chemistry, and shows the part played by computing and cybernetics. The story spans the globe, from Cambridge MA to Cambridge UK, New York to Paris, London to Moscow. It is both thrilling science and a fascinating story about how science is done.

Published: June 2015 | ISBN-13: 978-1781251409

Mini-bio: Matthew Cobb is professor of zoology and associate dean at the University of Manchester. He has translated five books from French into English, and spent most of his adult life as a researcher in Paris, before returning to the UK in 2002. He has a long track-record of popular science writing and blogging; has given talks and lectures around the world to the general public as well as students, scientists and historians; and is scientific advisor to Brian Cox’s BBC TV series ‘Wonders of Life’ and the accompanying book. – From The Science Factory
Author’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/matthewcobb

The Guardian Book Review
The Times Higher Education Book Review
Kirkus Reviews Book Review
Why Evolution is True Book Review

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