The Common Thread. A Story of Science, Politics, Ethics and the Human Genome

Sulston, John and Georgina Ferry

ISBN 10: 0593048016 / ISBN 13: 9780593048016

Published by Bantam Press / Transworld Publishers, London, 2002

About this Item

First edition, first impression with full number line. Some slight edge wear to top and bottom of jacket and spine, spine very slightly faded and yellowed, corners slightly bruised, slight yellowing to page block, not price clipped (£17.99), no inscriptions, internally clean tight and square, overall in vg+ condition. 310pp, illustrated. As the director of the Sanger Centre in Cambridge, the British arm of the international effort to map the entire human DNA sequence, John Sulston was at the very forefront of this cutting edge research. The ultimate success of the project, despite innumerable setbacks and rogue challenges from outside competitors, is in large part thanks his determination, diplomacy and scientific know-how. The resulting wealth of information promises to be the biggest scientific and medical breakthrough in modern history. In this intimate personal account John Sulston takes us behind the scenes of the largest international scientific operation ever undertaken. He reveals the politics, controversy, ethics, personalities, setbacks and accomplishments that shaped the seven years of research. He is frank about the competition with Craig Venter and Celera Genomics that threatened to undermine the attempts by the international community to make the sequence available for all humanity. He shares with us his obvious passion for science. He takes us into closed-door meetings with Tony Blair and Bill Clinton. And as a pragmatist he shares his hopes and concerns as to how the information unlocked by the Human Genome Project will affect people's lives in the near future, how this information (and future gene sequencing) should be protected, and conjectures about how this astonishing breakthrough will lead medicine, science and our understanding of our selves. Quite a scarce book.

Seller Inventory # 009861

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Common Thread. A Story of Science, Politics, Ethics and the Human Genome
• Publisher: Bantam Press / Transworld Publishers, London
• Publication Date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0593048016
• ISBN 13: 9780593048016
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Printing: 1st Printing
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine

About this title

Synopsis

The Common Thread [hardcover] GEORGINA FERRY JOHN SULSTON [Jan 01, 2002]

Book Description

The world was agog when scientists made the astounding announcement that they had successfully sequenced the human genome. Few contributed so directly to this feat as John Sulston. This is his personal account of one of the largest international scientific operations ever undertaken.

It was a momentous occasion when British scientist John Sulston embarked on the greatest scientific endeavor of our times: the sequencing of the Human Genome. In The Common Thread, Sulston takes us behind the scenes for an in-depth look at the controversial story behind the headlines. The accomplishments and the setbacks—along with the politics, personalities, and ethics—that shaped the research are frankly explored by a central figure key to the project.

From the beginning, Sulston fervently proclaimed his belief in the free and open exchange of the scientific information that would emerge from the project. Guided by these principles, The Human Genome Project was structured so that all the findings were public, encouraging an unparalleled international collaboration among scientists and researchers.

Then, in May 1998, Craig Venter announced that he was quitting the Human Genome Project—with plans to head up a commercial venture launched to bring out the complete sequence three years hence, but marketed in a proprietary database. Venter’s intentions, clearly anathema to Sulston and the global network of scientists working on the Project, marked the beginning of a dramatic struggle to keep the human genome in the public domain.

More than the story of human health versus corporate wealth, this is an exploration of the very nature of a scientific quest for discovery. Infused with Sulston’s own enthusiasm and excitement, the tale unfolds to reveal the scientists who painstakingly turn the key that will unlock the riddle of the human genome. We are privy to the joy and exuberance of success as well as the stark disappointments posed by inevitable failures. It is truly a wild and wonderful ride.

The Common Thread is at once a compelling history and an impassioned call for ethical responsibility in scientific research. As the boundaries between science and big business increasingly blur, and researchers race to patent medical discoveries, the international community needs to find a common protocol for the protection of the wider human interest. This extraordinary enterprise is a glimpse of our shared human heritage, offering hope for future research and a fresh outlook on our understanding of ourselves.