The secret of life : Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, Francis Crick, and the discovery of DNA's double helix / Howard Markel.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Opening credits -- The monk and the biochemist -- Before the double helix -- Take me to the Cavendish Laboratory -- The third man -- Like touching the fronds of a sea anemone -- There was no one like Linus in all the world -- The quiz kid -- Vide Napule e po' muore -- From Ann Arbor to Cambridge -- An American in Cambridge -- The king's war -- The lecture -- The dreaming spires of Oxford -- Mr. Crick and Dr. Watson build their dream model -- Dr. Pauling's predicament -- Chargaff's rules -- Paris and Royaumont -- A haphazard summer -- Linus sings -- A stomach ache in Clare College -- Peter and the wolf -- Photograph no. 51 -- The mornings after -- The MRC report -- Base pairs -- It's so beautiful -- Defeat -- It has not escaped our notice -- Stockholm -- Closing credits.

"A definitive history of the race to unravel DNA's structure, by one of our most prominent medical historians. Biologist James Watson and physicist Francis Crick's 1953 revelation about the double helix structure of DNA is the foundation of virtually every advance in our modern understanding of genetics and molecular biology. But how did Watson and Crick do it-and why were they the ones who succeeded? In truth, the discovery of DNA's structure is the story of a race among five scientists for advancement, fame, and immortality: Watson, Crick, Rosalind Franklin, Maurice Wilkins, and Linus Pauling. They were fascinating and brilliant, with strong personalities that often clashed. But it is Rosalind Franklin who becomes a focal point for Markel. The Secret of Life is a story of genius and perseverance, but also a saga of cronyism, misogyny, anti-Semitism, and misconduct. Markel brilliantly recounts the intense intellectual journey, and the fraught personal relationships, that resulted in the discovery of DNA"-- Provided by publisher.