Fascinating mix of science and business that tells the story of the race to decode the human genome.

خمسمائة صفحة من الملل. لم أقرأ كل صفحاته بدقة وتمعن، بل تعمدت الطيران بين صفحاته و فصوله للإنتهاء منه. الكتاب بعيد تماما عن العلم، لأنه عبارة عن حكاية عن العلم، أي أن مادته ليست مادة علمية بل هي تاريخية في باب ال دي إن إيه. وحكاية عن صراع الشركات الخاصة والجامعات المختلفة للإسراع بكشف الجينوم البشري، وكان هذا الصراع بغرض تحقيق السبق في الاستغلال التجاري في صناعة الادوية. من خلال هذا الكتاب نتعرف علي طبيعة الحركة العلمية ومن يديرها في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، ونتعرف من خلاله علي أن أغلب الإنتاج العلمي هناك يديره القطاع الخاص علي خلاف ما نعتقد.

This book is really interesting until about 150 pages in--from that point, you're better off Googling the ending.

The book explored the conflict between the Human Genome Project a government-based effort to map the human genome and the private efforts of Craig Venter to beat the government to the punch. Craig Venter is the type of man I would not like in person. But he cannot be ignored as a daring and competent individual. I will not scrutinize his ability as a scientist; I’m not equipped to make such judgments. What his optimism and indomitable will accomplished is tremendous and noteworthy. It is on the backs of men and women like this that our lives are bettered in degrees.

Yeah, yeah, this seems like a totally nerdy science book, but don't be fooled. It's really the tale of one of the most important races of the 20th century - the race to map the human genome. It honestly has it all, drive, dedication, deceit, love, hate, you name it. Shreeve's narrative style is smooth and definitely compatible with lay understanding.

للأسف ما كان مثل ما توقعت الكتاب اقل من عادي بس فيه اجزاء بسيطه حلوه والباقي احسه كلام على الفاضي ما قدرت اكمله للاخير الصراحه سحبت على نصه

An interesting story told well with lots of science and history.

مقدرتش اخلصه اصلا ملل وترجمة سيئة

I don't think I would have finished this book if I didn't have to make a class presentation over it. Great story about the race for sequencing human genome between Craig Venter and public research institutions. There was quite a drama happening for fifteen years since the day Venter has announced a decision to start working on the project. It is a nice story depicting what it costed to Venter to build his empire including hiring top researchers, finding investors, and buying super computers. However, the emotional context of the book is exaggerated - I felt like I was reading people magazine for the scientists. I don't think I should care about what facial expressions people have, or what they wear, or what they have dreams about. I understand that the author tried to tell a story because stories are great. It can get boring reading another report or publication, but this book will give you a bit of a flavor that scientists would want to read about.
Sometimes, it can be too much though, and this is that case.

A fun and in-depth look at the race between public and private efforts to sequence the first Human Genome in early 2000's. Part politics, part science, and lots of colorful personalities.

Well told, but I agree with Watson: Craig is no scientist.

I enjoyed reading this book. In places I read it as I would a thriller, it was so engrossing. I was well aware of the confrontation between the official Genome Project, NIH sponsored, and the private consortium, Celera, founded by Craig Venter. Having worked as a doctor and scientist all my life, I am used to the somewhat tentative interface between pure science, or pure medicine, and big business, in the form of the pharmaceutical industry. The goals of the doctors and scientists are rather different from those of a commercial company, which has to make a profit to keep in business. But in my experience both are necessary, certainly so to medicine.

This battle was however of exceptional interest and importance since its battlefield was the core of our being, our human genome. If you're not interested in your genome, you might as well say you don't care about your human essence. The theme should appeal to a pretty much universal intelligent readership.

I thought that the author, James Shreeve, captured the human tensions and pressures in a day to day way exceptionally well. So well, in fact, that I felt I was there and would have had something to say about things myself about the somewhat patrician attitude of some of the officially funded scientists. Yet at the same time, having been involved with similar dilemmas, I felt for them too. Some of the science, though familiar enough to me, might be very unfamiliar to lay readers, though Shreeve did a good job of simplifying it - often reducing it to a light hearted metaphor. What really comes across superbly is the character, ambition and sheer compulsive drive of Craig Venter. He would appear to be the epitome of the entrepreneur while yet retaining the zest and love of the basic science.

It is isn't already destined to be a movie, it should become one. I've gone straight out to buy Venter's own book, Life at the Speed of Light.

Recommended.