"In a magisterial new biography, Crick, zoologist and historian Matthew Cobb revisits the double-helix breakthrough, a discovery he discussed in forensic detail in his book Life's Greatest Secret (2015). Yet, this time, the publication of the structure and the immediate aftermath of the discovery occupy just 41 pages. Instead, Cobb explores how Crick's thinking, writing and interactions with others transcended that brilliant, yet contested, episode, revolutionizing molecular biology and influencing evolutionary and developmental biology, visual neuroscience and ideas about consciousness."
"At the same time, he makes a more sustained attempt than either of Crick's previous biographers (Matt Ridley and Robert Olby) to answer several questions. Who was Crick? What kind of person was he? What did he care about? Crick was notoriously reluctant to divulge personal information or even have his photograph taken. Combing through a remarkably comprehensive set of personal and professional archives with meticulous attention to detail, Cobb has reconstructed Crick's relationships with those who were essential crew mates on his intellectual odyssey."
Francis Crick became famous for discovering DNA's double-helix with James Watson but pursued diverse scientific questions thereafter. The publication of the structure and its immediate aftermath occupied a relatively small portion of his career. Crick's thinking, writing and collaborations influenced molecular biology, evolutionary and developmental biology, visual neuroscience and ideas about consciousness. Extensive personal and professional archives permit reconstruction of his relationships and intellectual partnerships. Crick was born in 1916 in Northampton, grew up in a comfortable home, and displayed an early, persistent curiosity about why things were the way they were.
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