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El código de la vida: Jennifer Doudna, la edición genética y el futuro de la especie humana

El código de la vida: Jennifer Doudna, la edición genética y el futuro de la especie humana

  • Downloads：3765
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-07 02:51:11
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Walter Isaacson
  • ISBN：8418056649
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Walter Isaacson vuelve a fascinarnos， esta vez con la historia de Jennifer Doudna， Premio Nobel de Química 2020， y el avance científico más importante del último siglo。

Hay una revolución en marcha， una tecnología prodigiosa que nos va a permitir curar enfermedades， derrotar virus y tener hijos más sanos。 A su cabeza está la reciente premio Nobel Jennifer Doudna y sus colegas， protagonistas del nuevo libro de Walter Isaacson。

Aunque su profesor de instituto le advirtió que las niñas no podían ser científicas， su búsqueda apasionada de los mecanismos ocultos de la vida y su voluntad por convertir descubrimientos en inventos llevaron a Jennifer Doudna a participar en el avance más importante en el ámbito de la biología desde el descubrimiento de la doble hélice del ADN。 Con su equipo， transformó una curiosidad de la naturaleza en una herramienta que cambiará el rumbo del ser humano。 El CRISPR， una técnica fácil de usar que permite modificar el ADN， lo que abre un mundo nuevo de milagros médicos pero también de cuestiones morales。

El desarrollo del CRISPR （y la carrera por encontrar la vacuna del coronavirus） acelerarán nuestra transición a la siguiente gran revolución。 Los últimos cincuenta años han sido una era digital basada en el microchip， el ordenador e internet。 Ahora comienza la revolución de las ciencias de la vida。 A los estudiantes de código digital se les unirán los que estudian el código genético。

¿Deberíamos usar nuestras nuevas capacidades para hacernos menos vulnerables a los virus？ ¿Y para prevenir la depresión？ ¿Deberíamos aceptar que las familias que se lo puedan permitir mejoren la constitución física o la inteligencia de sus hijos？ Tras dirigir el equipo que descubrió la tecnología CRISPR， Doudna ha liderado los debates en torno a estas cuestiones morales。

Obtuvo， junto con su colaboradora Emmanuelle Charpentier， el Premio Nobel de Química en 2020。 Su historia es una apasionante aventura que atraviesa las maravillas más profundas de la naturaleza， de los orígenes de la vida al futuro de nuestra especie。

La crítica ha dicho。。。
«El premio de este año tiene que ver con la idea de reescribir el código de la vida。 Estas tijeras genéticas han llevado a la ciencia a una nueva era。»
Anuncio del Premio Nobel de Química 2020

«Un libro extraordinario que profundiza en una de las tecnologías biológicas más innovadoras de nuestro tiempo y las personas que la crearon。 Brillante es una lectura absolutamente necesaria para nuestra era。»
Siddhartha Mukherjee

«Un libro vital sobre la última gran innovación científica， y otra biografía de primer nivel de Isaacson。»
Kirkus Weekly

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Reviews

Sumitgautam ，

Very interesting！！！

Ellie Cochran ，

This was not my typical read， but Walter Isaacson did a masterful job of making a complex science understandable。 The topic of the coronavirus and the scientists that work to understand DNA and RNA was fascinating and I more fully appreciate their efforts。

kevin moore ，

If writing for the general readership tough choices to be made surrounding a story of science。 How much scientific detail， which people to focus on， social considerations like ethics， etc？ Nothing as clear cut as Steve Jobs - an easily drawn character and a technology in everyone's hands。Primary reason to read would be the overwhelming relevance to current and future virus challenges。 Essentially Operation Warp Speed was preceded by years of Operation Trial and Error， setting the required founda If writing for the general readership tough choices to be made surrounding a story of science。 How much scientific detail， which people to focus on， social considerations like ethics， etc？ Nothing as clear cut as Steve Jobs - an easily drawn character and a technology in everyone's hands。Primary reason to read would be the overwhelming relevance to current and future virus challenges。 Essentially Operation Warp Speed was preceded by years of Operation Trial and Error， setting the required foundation for the successes of the past 12 months。 Fascinating reading and while Doudna is the best to spotlight this is about so many other scientists and breakthroughs。Not uncomfortable with science but bioscience is another matter - challenging。 。。。more

Dave ，

I enjoyed reading about the invention of CRISPR gene editing technology by Jennifer Doudna and her team。 I didn't completely understand all the scientific explanations， but I liked learning more about the contributions of CRISPR to the elimination of disease。 There are many ethical considerations to editing human germ cells for the elimination of disease and choosing positive traits for children。 This book discusses these issues from a scientific secular point of view。 I enjoyed reading about the invention of CRISPR gene editing technology by Jennifer Doudna and her team。 I didn't completely understand all the scientific explanations， but I liked learning more about the contributions of CRISPR to the elimination of disease。 There are many ethical considerations to editing human germ cells for the elimination of disease and choosing positive traits for children。 This book discusses these issues from a scientific secular point of view。 。。。more

Lisa ，

This comprehensive biography of Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues and rivals in developing CRISPR gene-editing and eventually getting the Nobel Prize （with a co-scientist Emmanuelle Charpentier） goes on and on。 （I was reading it on an e-reader so I couldn't tell how far there was to go， assuming that many pages of notes were involved at the end。） The book is fascinating because Isaacson pays attention to things that many authors would have skipped--how Doudna came to be a premiere scientist in This comprehensive biography of Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues and rivals in developing CRISPR gene-editing and eventually getting the Nobel Prize （with a co-scientist Emmanuelle Charpentier） goes on and on。 （I was reading it on an e-reader so I couldn't tell how far there was to go， assuming that many pages of notes were involved at the end。） The book is fascinating because Isaacson pays attention to things that many authors would have skipped--how Doudna came to be a premiere scientist in a world where she was discouraged from pursuing that dream （"girls don't do science，" she was told）。 The author gives mini-biographies of many scientists to show how they came to be the basis for Doudna's work or collaborated or became her rivals。 The book also tells how Doudna and her colleagues became involved in the uses of gene-editing and RNA manipulation to help fight the COVID-19 virus， bringing it up to the very last date possible。 This book is not just the biography of one person， although it focuses on her。 It is the biography of an entire sector of science and medicine。 The importance of pursuing basic science （which inevitably leads to applications that are beneficial） is emphasized， as are the ethical questions surrounding the use of gene-editing in reproductive and other medicine。 All thoughtfully explored。 One problem with the e-book--when I'd swipe to turn the page at the end of a chapter， nothing happened。 So I'd swipe again and again， and then the reader would suddenly jump ahead five pages， and I'd have to go back。 Let's get someone involved in fixing that problematic code。 。。。more

JR ，

First， my usual disclaimer - I was a bad science major and nearly flunked genetics。A very timely book， and an excellent account of the biotechnology behind the covid vaccines。 I found it all both fascinating and terrifying - many ethical questions to consider and answer。 Isaacson does his usual thorough research; his presentation and writing style makes a difficult topic quite accessible to non-bioengineers。

MilkywayCrossing ，

This book is a fascinating biography of an amazing female scientist。 Her work became unexpectedly very relevant in the COVID-19 pandemic， since it deals with RNA and CRISPR。

Daniel Cahill ，

This was a really good book。 My favorite part was easily the discussion of the potential positive and negative of this technology in the future。 The discussion on how the scientific community came together to develop Covid research was very aspirational。 For those interested in this type of thing， I highly recommend this book。 I would certainly enjoy discussing this with my friends who understand the science better than I do。

Carolyn ，

A perfect book to discover in detail the history of genetic discoveries from Darwin， Mendel， and James Watson with proposing the double helix in molecular structure。 These major steps opened the door for RNA Crisper and opportunities to alter the life of an individual。 Because Doudna was one to collaborate with others discoveries moved rapidly toward the innovations available in the human genome。 Walter Isaacson brought this timely subject to the reader in clear and easy to understand language。 A perfect book to discover in detail the history of genetic discoveries from Darwin， Mendel， and James Watson with proposing the double helix in molecular structure。 These major steps opened the door for RNA Crisper and opportunities to alter the life of an individual。 Because Doudna was one to collaborate with others discoveries moved rapidly toward the innovations available in the human genome。 Walter Isaacson brought this timely subject to the reader in clear and easy to understand language。 Today we are able to celebrate the war on COVID as a part of strides made by these people around the globe。 The virus is one small part of the many healing， enhancing and manipulating of the gene to change and eliminate many diseases and illnesses like sickle cell， HIV， and others。 The lab work and the pattens along with research papers required a massive amount of eff0rt which these dedicated scientists were then and now and into the future finding ways to deal with issues。 The code of moral ethics comes to play and the thought or possibility of God being interfered is also something needing consideration。 。。。more

John ，

A great， timely， and important book。 Timely， strategic issues （genetic editing。。。） discussed。Very readable， as I have found all of Isaacson's books， though this one is especially heavy with acronyms。It sometimes felt like a combo of Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes。 A great， timely， and important book。 Timely， strategic issues （genetic editing。。。） discussed。Very readable， as I have found all of Isaacson's books， though this one is especially heavy with acronyms。It sometimes felt like a combo of Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes。 。。。more

Marsha ，

I thought I was going to read a biography， and the 1st 6th of the book is that。 But mostly it's about all the people involved in developing CRISPR， first as pure science and then for therapeutics。 Parts of it dragged。 I was bored through the section on legal battles over patents， but someone else might find that interesting。 I was enthralled by the section on ethics， and someone else might find that boring。 I thought I was going to read a biography， and the 1st 6th of the book is that。 But mostly it's about all the people involved in developing CRISPR， first as pure science and then for therapeutics。 Parts of it dragged。 I was bored through the section on legal battles over patents， but someone else might find that interesting。 I was enthralled by the section on ethics， and someone else might find that boring。 。。。more

Paula ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Excellent nonfiction about the life of Doudna， and others who researched and developed processes for gene editing。 Author makes the science understandable to nonscientist readers as he reviews the history of working with genes， the collaboration and competition of those involved in the studies and development of therapies， tests， and discussions of uses of gene editing--medically， scientifically， ethically。p71 Yoshizumi Ishino's discovery of five segments of DNA that were identical to each other Excellent nonfiction about the life of Doudna， and others who researched and developed processes for gene editing。 Author makes the science understandable to nonscientist readers as he reviews the history of working with genes， the collaboration and competition of those involved in the studies and development of therapies， tests， and discussions of uses of gene editing--medically， scientifically， ethically。p71 Yoshizumi Ishino's discovery of five segments of DNA that were identical to each others， and Francisco Mojica's research into discovering the function of these repeated sequences。 p74 He eventually realized that the spacer segments matched those of viruses that attached that bacteria。p75 There are a trillion phages （viruses that attack bacteria） for every grain of sand， and more than all organisms， including bacteria， combined。p90 There is "an iterative dance among basic scientists， practical inventors， and business leaders。"p102 Doudna wanted "to tie her research to the creation of practical new tools and companies that could commercialize them。。。"p106 Need to understand both the what Cas9， a CRISPR-associated protein， did （biochemistry） ， and then the how which meant seeing the structure to explain how it operates （structural biology）。p117 At the end of WWII Vannevar Bush believed unlike tht atomic bomb project， government should not build big research labs， but instead should fund universities and corporate labs。p124 Core of CRISPR system: small snippet of RNA as guide and an enzyme that acts as scissorsp289 & fwd- ongoing discussions of use （or not） of germline/inheritable editing and gene therapiesp437 "The plague year of 2020 is liking to be remembered as the time when these traditional vaccines began to be supplanted by genetic vaccines。"p447 "The invention of easily reprogrammable RNA vaccines was a lightning-fast triumph of human ingenuity， but it was based on decades of curiosity-driven research into one of the most fundamental aspects of life on planet earth: how genes encoded by DNA are transcribed into snippets of RNA that tell cells what proteins to assemble。 Likewise， CRISPR gene-editing technology came from understanding the way that bacteria use snippets of RNA to guide enzymes to chop up dangerous viruses。 Great inventions come from understanding basic science。 Nature is beautiful that way。"p449 "The long-range solution to our fight against viruses is the same as the one bacteria found: using CRISPR to guide a scissors-like enzyme to chop up the genetic material of a virus， without having to enlist the patient's immune system。" 。。。more

Matt Heavner ，

really good three part （as advertised） - Jennifer Doudna， gene editing （and genetics） overview， and "the future of the human race"/ethics。 My favorite quote （it may have to go in my email signature）: "If COVID doesn't kill us， Zoom will。" really good three part （as advertised） - Jennifer Doudna， gene editing （and genetics） overview， and "the future of the human race"/ethics。 My favorite quote （it may have to go in my email signature）: "If COVID doesn't kill us， Zoom will。" 。。。more

Jerrius Jubran ，

Issacson has always been a favorite author of mine because he goes into such detail for a story you feel like you are walking through a movie of their life and this book on Jennifer Doudna does not disappoint。 Much more rivalry and suspense than expected but it helped carry the interesting story。

Mary Ellen ，

This book about a gene editing technique was interesting because of the ethical questions。 It did tend to be technical and dry with a lot of key players that were hard to keep straight。

Greg Parrott ，

If you are looking for detailed scientific information from Dr。 Doudna's point of view， this isn't necessarily the book for you。 However， the book is very well written and covers the history of CRISPR， the ethics of editing the germ line， the competition between labs， the odd timings of publishing papers， patents and university labs， biotech on the rise， COVID， and other topics with Dr。 Doudna （and others） mentioned along the way。 I'm currently reading Dr。 Doudna and her colleague's book and wil If you are looking for detailed scientific information from Dr。 Doudna's point of view， this isn't necessarily the book for you。 However， the book is very well written and covers the history of CRISPR， the ethics of editing the germ line， the competition between labs， the odd timings of publishing papers， patents and university labs， biotech on the rise， COVID， and other topics with Dr。 Doudna （and others） mentioned along the way。 I'm currently reading Dr。 Doudna and her colleague's book and will review there if it is as scientific as I like （though not necessarily as detailed as the papers they write I hope！） 。。。more

Jan ，

I truly enjoyed this book which I read just as COVID-19 vaccines were returning us to a new normal。 As a non-scientist， I found it fascinating to hear the science behind the DNA and RNA and CRISPR。 Isaacson does a good job of explaining complicated science to non-scientists like me。 I also found the competitive vs collaborative theme and the academic/corporate/government dynamics illuminating。 Frankly， I’ve given up on a couple of Isaacson’s biographies which seemed mired down in details。 But th I truly enjoyed this book which I read just as COVID-19 vaccines were returning us to a new normal。 As a non-scientist， I found it fascinating to hear the science behind the DNA and RNA and CRISPR。 Isaacson does a good job of explaining complicated science to non-scientists like me。 I also found the competitive vs collaborative theme and the academic/corporate/government dynamics illuminating。 Frankly， I’ve given up on a couple of Isaacson’s biographies which seemed mired down in details。 But this book is not a biography — and it held my interest throughout。 。。。more

Samantha ，

This book is extremely informative and surprisingly digestible， although I did get lost at times with specific biological/biotechnological functions （especially at the end with all the acronyms like PAC-MAN and SHERLOCK）。 Isaacson somehow manages to capture the elegance of gene editing within the complexity of the system as a whole。 I am deeply inspired and humbled by all the developing advances out there to combat viruses and propel humankind continuously forward。

Sunil Rajasekar ，

Fascinating topic and I enjoyed learning about the science。 Another interesting insight was that academics and research are not as pure and altruistic as I had thought。 3 stars because despite all that， I found the writing and flow very choppy and ended up skipping several pages。

Jbsfaculty ，

Much more than just a look at Jennifer Doudna。 Lots of great science and some of its controversies。

Penny Jansen ，

I found this book really interesting and well researched。 I learned a lot about DNA， TNA， CRiSPr， and enzymes。 If I’d read this when I was younger I might have chosen a career in science。

Marianne ，

Read this for book club。 Interesting， but the science bogged me down。

Dan Tracy ，

The exciting future of bio scienceThe book included numerous themes - among them cutting edge technologies， the importance of scientific collaboration and the leadership （and recognition） of women。 Well written。

Ben Iverson ，

I wanted to rate this one 4。5 stars。 Super book about a really fascinating topic。 Highlights were Isaacson's great job of describing how the CRISPR technology works and his discussion of the ethical conundrum of gene editing。 I didn't care quite as much for the section of the book that looked at competition between the labs to patent the technology， but that is probably more down to my personal taste。 Overall， I really enjoyed this book thoroughly， and it is a book that I continue thinking about I wanted to rate this one 4。5 stars。 Super book about a really fascinating topic。 Highlights were Isaacson's great job of describing how the CRISPR technology works and his discussion of the ethical conundrum of gene editing。 I didn't care quite as much for the section of the book that looked at competition between the labs to patent the technology， but that is probably more down to my personal taste。 Overall， I really enjoyed this book thoroughly， and it is a book that I continue thinking about several weeks after reading it。 Definitely recommend。 。。。more

Jenn ，

I suspect a good chunk of this was over my head but goodness am I ready to have a discussion with people about COVID Vaccine's and time lines for their saftey！ Great information。 I suspect a good chunk of this was over my head but goodness am I ready to have a discussion with people about COVID Vaccine's and time lines for their saftey！ Great information。 。。。more

Molly ，

Fantastic！

Rick ，

Walter Isaacson does an amazing job telling the story of a complicated scientific matter and making it relatable and somewhat easy to understand。 It's biology so he couldn't make it 100% so。 His decision to focus on Jennifer Doudna was a very wise one。 We are introduced to someone who represents the entry of women into science as well as someone who is blazing a trail into a dynamic new field。 Isaacson is not afraid to delve into the ethical issues around gene editing and does a great job examin Walter Isaacson does an amazing job telling the story of a complicated scientific matter and making it relatable and somewhat easy to understand。 It's biology so he couldn't make it 100% so。 His decision to focus on Jennifer Doudna was a very wise one。 We are introduced to someone who represents the entry of women into science as well as someone who is blazing a trail into a dynamic new field。 Isaacson is not afraid to delve into the ethical issues around gene editing and does a great job examining how this could play out on several levels both good and bad。 He also talks about some of the people in the field who， for better or worse， made contributions to the understanding of genetics。 Lastly， for lack of a better term， he lucked into talking to someone who would go on to wing a Noble Prize and have a front row seat to the battle to build a test and inoculation for COVID-19。 There was no way he could have expected either but it really brings the story together nicely。 Put this one front-and-center to read！ 。。。more

Chris ，

I have enjoyed many of Mr。 Isaacson books。 I highly recommend。

Phil ，

I read this book in early 2021， within 6 months of Charpentier and Doudna winning a Nobel prize in chemistry for their work in gene editing。 Not only that， but the world's very first widely approved mRNA vaccine （BioNtech/Pfizer） was swirling around in my body at the same time。 This book couldn't possibly be more timely if you want to understand some of the fundamental technology involved and the people who got us there。The first half-ish of the book is a gripping story of Doudna's career and th I read this book in early 2021， within 6 months of Charpentier and Doudna winning a Nobel prize in chemistry for their work in gene editing。 Not only that， but the world's very first widely approved mRNA vaccine （BioNtech/Pfizer） was swirling around in my body at the same time。 This book couldn't possibly be more timely if you want to understand some of the fundamental technology involved and the people who got us there。The first half-ish of the book is a gripping story of Doudna's career and the scientific race to understand RNA and CRISPR。 It's a dense read。 The author augments the story liberally with background material and history to provide context and some basic understanding of the science。 As for Doudna's story: it's not without controversy， but I think the author did a good job of presenting some of the nuance involved。 When reading about someone like this， it is human nature to try to look for the "secret" to their success。 Spoiler alert: there is no secret here beyond being brilliant， creative， and persistent to an astonishing degree。 At this point the book is 4 stars for me。 This material is informative and inspiring and worth the brain workout。From there， things meander a bit; I wasn't actually sure when the book would end。 There is significant coverage of ethics。 That's surely important， but it's hard to get your arms around such a nebulous topic after very concrete biographical and scientific content。 It feels unresolved。 There are discussions of Watson's fall from grace in public/scientific life and the appalling story of Jiankui's unethical human experiments。 Those stories are also important and obviously related， but they feel like they may as well have been different books or long-form essays。 The book concludes with some breaking coverage of CRISPR's application to the fight against COVID， which feels like a more appropriate "where are they now" epilogue， especially since it gives a glimpse into cut throat competition turning into friendly cooperation when it matters most。3 stars seems kind of harsh considering how much I enjoyed the book early on， but I have a hard time giving a higher rating to a book that I eventually ended up kind of flipping through wondering what to skip。 。。。more

Colleen ，

I thought this would be more of a biography of Jennifer Doudna then it was， but still enjoyed it。 Kind of an overview of crispr， the various scientists that were involved in its discovery and what it all means。 along the way you get an inside look at how research science works， how patents and corporate culture are effecting academia and also the nobility of curiosity for its own sake

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=El código de la vida: Jennifer Doudna, la edición genética y el futuro de la especie humana

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=El código de la vida: Jennifer Doudna, la edición genética y el futuro de la especie humana&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,El código de la vida: Jennifer Doudna, la edición genética y el futuro de la especie humana&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0