Francis Crick (1916–2004)

This reading was one of the most fun I have had looking through the muse of a disciplined scientist. His re-telling of his modest beginnings, through his and his team discovering the DNA molecule and further, was nothing less than charming. His humors are attractive in so many ways, on the verge of irreverence, tipping the scales on self deprecation, the roasting of oneself comes to mind; yet beautifully dignified all the way through. Coming from one of the primary contributers to the show more discovery of DNA, being a scientific marvel of the twentieth century, this book is a sweetheart of all sweethearts. God bless Francis Crick. show less

Very enjoyable reading, but a much different book than Watson's account of the discovery of DNA in "The Double Helix". This book was more of a reflection on a career in science than on a particular episode. It's filled with a good number of quotes and truisms that I couldn't help but jot down, such as "... one good example is worth a thousand theoretical arguments".

The bulk of the book is spent on describing how the brain, step by step, processes the information that the retina provides into the 3-dimensional 'motion picture' we observe, and which parts of the brain are involved and what they do.

He stresses several times that patients are not aware about several types of damage. And that blind sight exists.

Only at the very end the author carefully speculates on the relation between what he described, and consciousness/the soul.

I think the title of show more the book should have been: A Technical Explanation of Vision, with maybe a subtitle And Some Speculations about Consciousness. That would have been way more honest, though he would have sold far less copies... show less

An Extraordinary Journey

Dr. Crick shares with the readers his personal journey of scientific discovery. Starting with how he chose molecular biology as his pursuit, the "gossip test -- what you are really interested in is what you gossip about", leading up to the discovery of structure of DNA and the genetic code, and eventually the study of neurobiology when he passed 60, "at my time of life I had a right to do things for my own amusement". Dr. Crick's intelligence and great sense of humor show more shines throughout.

It's a rare, insightful book that is both entertaining and intellectually stimulating, with many amusing anecdotes and characters. For example, at one point he had to extract enzymes from his own tears and even thought of testing his two-year-old daughter's tears, but "was sternly forbidden to attempt it" by his wife. Mad pursuit indeed.

The Eureka Moment

"It is not easy to convey, unless one has experienced it, the dramatic feeling of sudden enlightenment that floods the mind when the right idea finally clicks into place. One immediately sees how many previously puzzling facts are neatly explained by the new hypothesis. One could kick oneself for not having the idea earlier, it now seems so obvious. Yet before, everything was in a fog."

(Read full review at Nemo's Library) show less