Crick, Watson and DNA: The Big Idea (Strathern, Paul, Big Idea.)

Paul Strathern (Curie and Radioactivity, Hawking and Black Holes) argues that the advances of molecular biology in the last half of the 20th century are comparable to the gains of nuclear physics in the first: both sciences have given us vast power over our world, and both have challenged our morality with dangerous choices. Strathern also quickly points out that, not coincidentally, both fields arose from the work of ambitious, sometimes foolish, all-too-human researchers.

This 128-page installment in Strathern's The Big Idea series details the work of two brazen wags who were central to the birth of molecular biology: Francis Crick and James Watson. Calling them a "pair of comedians," Strathern describes the tandem research style of the loud and cocksure Crick and the unassuming, gangly Watson. Like an action-flick cop team, the likable pair almost bumbled their way to discovering DNA's zippered helix pattern, with the brilliant, beer-swilling Crick getting called to task by his superiors as Watson quietly pursued hit-and-miss models to crack the code.

One of the better books in The Big Idea series, Crick, Watson, and DNA even includes a decent primer on genetics. In just an hour or so, you'll have a good grasp of the field and more than a few chuckles at the antics of two of its greats. --Paul Hughes