Gene Machine

The Race to Decipher the Secrets of the Ribosome

De: Venki Ramakrishnan

Narrado por: Matthew Waterson

Everyone has heard of DNA. But by itself, DNA is just an inert blueprint for life. It is the ribosome - an enormous molecular machine made up of a million atoms - that makes DNA come to life, turning our genetic code into proteins and therefore into us.

Gene Machine is an insider account of the race for the structure of the ribosome, a fundamental discovery that both advances our knowledge of all life and could lead to the development of better antibiotics against life-threatening diseases.

But this is also a human story of Ramakrishnan's unlikely journey, from his first fumbling experiments in a biology lab to being the dark horse in a fierce competition with some of the world's best scientists. In the end, Gene Machine is a frank insider's account of the pursuit of high-stakes science.

©2018 Venki Ramakrishnan (P)2018 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Very slow, more life story

Not that much about Ribosome processing and it’s biology more about authors life story. Quasi interesting a bit of a Yanning experience

Highly technical, way over my head

This book was well done, but I thought it would be an overview for those not familiar with the field. I found it way more technical than I expected.

Shared Nobel prize winner

Journey of an Indian Nobel prize chemist. Story is very dry, disappointing and lacks humor and insight. The author comes across as honest, very bright and hard working. Explains the many errors that occurred and the competition between labs to be first to publish.

Dense, chatty story

Gene Machine is an entertaining view of the scientific forays of a Nobel Prize recipient. He gives detailed explanation of crystals and their role in building understanding of the ribosome. Though technical, the story of the teams, personalities and struggles encountered adds humor and interest to the book.

Loved it!

I loved this book. First, Dr. Ramakrishnan makes mind-boggling science easy to understand. Second, he turns it into a detective story, a mystery as captivating as the translation of Egyptian hieroglyphics or the race to set foot on the moon. But most of all, I love how he shares credit with all the people who helped him achieve the pinnacle of scientific success. He's not only a great scientist. He is a great human being.