I love this library because it has provided me with helpful resources that my old school library did not have. I have borrowed three historical books which in a way have been easier to understand than the £50 A-Level history textbooks.
I can not find musical recordings anywhere else!
Maya Elliot
Feedback note
“DNA: The Secret Of Life”, by James Watson, is the sister book of “The Double Helix” again written by James Watson. The book begins with an explanation of this complex, double spiral molecule, with all its variations, and how it codifies life.
It explains how variations of DNA structure are responsible for differences in the animal kingdom.
In my opinion, probably the most fascinating part of the book is the investigation of the manipulation of DNA, popularly known as biological engineering. This includes trivial manipulations such as “designer babies” to Dolly the sheep to more useful manipulations such as increasing cow’s milk to vegetables that do not rot.
It also talks about what most people believe as the dark side of genetic manipulation, editing human genes; this for me was properly intriguing as I am fascinated by genetic manipulation. However, the way Watson talked about manipulations was in a a positive way, so he discussed how it could be used to treat genetic diseases such as cancer or AIDs: he also said about producing the “perfect human” to stop discrimination, crimes, etc.
In conclusion, I think that “The Secret of Life” is a really fascinating book that I would highly recommend, it is rare to find a book which covers genetic editing and genetic variation from someone with so much knowledge on the topic area now-a-days.
By Marcus Connolly
DNA: The Secret Of Life
By James Watson
03
BOOKS REVIEWS