Gene Machine

August 6, 2018
Ramakrishnan, winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the ribosome, shares his excitement about the scientific process in this enlightening if pedestrian memoir. As he traces his journey from India to the United States to attend graduate school at Miami University in Ohio, through various research and teaching positions in the U.S. and England, three things become clear: Ramakrishnan is an incredibly talented scientist; he is a kind and generous person; and he is a workmanlike writer. He describes the process and challenges of mapping the ribosome, the part of every cell that enables proteins to be constructed, in almost excruciating detail (while diligently giving appropriate credit to his collaborators and competitors). He is at his best reflecting upon the nature of the scientific enterprise, as when explaining that the “willingness to challenge is the great thing about science: no matter how important a discovery, people will attack any parts of it that they think are not right.” Ramakrishnan also reflects on the politics of scientific awards, including the Nobel Prize, humbly noting that many well-deserving people are overlooked. Despite this work’s literary shortcomings, one can’t help celebrating with Ramakrishnan when, near his story’s conclusion, the call from Stockholm arrives. Agent: John Brockman, John Brockman Inc.

October 1, 2018
A skillful memoir and account of groundbreaking research by the winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in chemistry.Ramakrishnan--the senior scientist at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge and president of the Royal Society in London--arrived in the United States in 1971 and obtained a doctorate in theoretical physics, but then he lost interest and devoted his life to biology. The author won his prize for his role in determining the structure of the ribosome. Anyone who has taken high school biology knows that the DNA inside each cell guides the assembly of small molecules into huge ones--proteins--that make up every living creature. DNA, discovered in the 1860s, is simple; in the 1950s, learning how it worked jump-started a revolution in biology. Protein assembly occurs in the ribosome, which is complex. Each cell contains millions. Soon after it was first observed in 1955, scientists sought to learn more. Years after joining their efforts, Ramakrishnan realized that "after forty years of trying to solve how ribosomes work by chemical methods alone," it was impossible "without a more detailed knowledge of the structure." Working mostly through X-ray crystallography, he and his lab staff gradually teased out its precise makeup. Rewards and fame--mostly within the scientific community--followed. The author also delivers a portrait of the ribosome that will satisfy even undemanding readers. Very few will understand his explanation of crystallography, but it doesn't matter. Readers will accept that it's a maddeningly difficult technique as they take in a vivid description of 20 years of frustration, tedium, and improvisation as he slowly approached his goal.An entertaining account of a peripatetic career, academic infighting, and the colorful, charismatic, or eccentric mentors, colleagues, and competitors the author encountered as well as an often cynical view of the scientific establishment.

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