The Genome War: How Craig Venter Tried to Capture the Code of Life and Save the World - 1st Edition/1st Printing

Shreeve, James

ISBN 10: 0375406298 / ISBN 13: 9780375406294

Published by Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2004

About this Item

A Fine first printing of the first edition that has a tiny tear on the bottom of the spine edge in an unblemished dust-jacket; In The Genome War, Shreeve tells the story of Craig Venter, one of the most celebrated and controversial scientists of our time. Venter is best known for his work on sequencing the human genome, a project that has led to a better understanding of human genetic traits and has the potential to cure many diseases.The Genome War is an engrossing story of obsession and ambition, of dogged determination and breathtaking scientific achievement. It is also the story of how Venter and his team attempted to use their knowledge of the human genome to defend the world against a deadly new virus.; 8vo; 403 pages.

Seller Inventory # 53791

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Genome War: How Craig Venter Tried to Capture the Code of Life and Save the World - 1st Edition/1st Printing
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, New York
• Publication Date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0375406298
• ISBN 13: 9780375406294
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Edition; First Printing.
• Condition: Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Fine
• Seller catalogs:
  • Science::General
  • Science::Biology
  • By Year Of Issue::2000s
  • First Editions

About this title

Synopsis

The long-awaited story of the science, the business, the politics, the intrigue behind the scenes of the most ferocious competition in the history of modern science—the race to map the human genome.
On May 10, 1998, biologist Craig Venter, director of the Institute for Genomic Research, announced that he was forming a private company that within three years would unravel the complete genetic code of human life—seven years before the projected finish of the U.S. government’s Human Genome Project. Venter hoped that by decoding the genome ahead of schedule, he would speed up the pace of biomedical research and save the lives of thousands of people. He also hoped to become very famous and very rich. Calling his company Celera (from the Latin for “speed”), he assembled a small group of scientists in an empty building in Rockville, Maryland, and set to work.
At the same time, the leaders of the government program, under the direction of Francis Collins, head of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health, began to mobilize an unexpectedly unified effort to beat Venter to the prize—knowledge that had the potential to revolutionize medicine and society.

The stage was set for one of the most thrilling—and important—dramas in the history of science. The Genome War is the definitive account of that drama—the race for the greatest prize biology has had to offer, told by a writer with exclusive access to Venter’s operation from start to finish. It is also the story of how one man’s ambition created a scientific Camelot where, for a moment, it seemed that the competing interests of pure science and commercial profit might be gloriously reconciled—and the national repercussions that resulted when that dream went awry.

About the Author

James Shreeve is the author of The Neandertal Enigma: Solving the Mystery of Modern Human Origin, and coauthor of Lucy’s Child: The Discovery of a Human Ancestor. His articles have appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, Discover, National Geographic, Science, Smithsonian, and other publications. He has been a fellow of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and of the Alicia Patterson Foundation. Shreeve lives in South Orange, New Jersey.