The thrilling story of how scientists unlocked a new window onto how life works
From Nobel Prize winner Venki Ramakrishnan
‘Beyond superb’ Bill Bryson
‘A wonderful book’ Ian McEwan
Everyone knows about DNA, the essence of our being, the molecule where our genes reside. But DNA by itself is useless without a machine to decode the genetic information it contains. The ribosome is that machine. Venki Ramakrishnan tells the story of the race to uncover its enormously complex structure, a fundamental breakthrough that resolves an ancient mystery of life itself.
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'Invitingly witty'
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‘A must-read for anyone interested in a glimpse of the messy business – rivalries, failed experiments, the frustration of mistakes – of how science happens.’
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The Times"
‘An engaging and witty memoir…that highlights how science actually works… This profoundly human story is written with honesty and humility… Anyone who is captivated by an absorbing story well told will find much to appreciate in this fascinating book.’
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Forbes"
‘This is not an objective history of the field, but a highly personal account. As such, anyone who wants to know how modern science really works should read it. It’s all here: the ambition, jealousy and factionalism — as well as the heroic late nights, crippling anxiety and disastrous mistakes — that underlie the apparently serene and objective surface represented by the published record.’
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Nature"
‘It is [Ramakrishnan’s] full embrace of the role of the antihero that makes Gene Machine so much fun to read and also serves as a reminder to us all of the beating human heart that lies at the center of every advance in science.’
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Wall Street Journal