Making PCR: A Story of Biotechnology
Making PCR: A Tale of Biotechnology Books
Product Description
Making PCR is the fascinating, behind-the-scenes account of the invention of one of the most significant biotech discoveries in our time–the polymerase chain reaction. The book contains interviews with the remarkable cast of characters who made PCR, including Kary Mullis, who received a Nobel Prize for “learning” it, as well as the team of young scientists. 10 halftones, 10 line drawings.Amazon.com Review
When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1980 that new life forms may possibly be patented, biology escaped the confines of academia; biotechnology companies have been multiplying like conservatory organisms ever since. The conjunction of scientific research and corporate profits has made much angst, not least among working scientists. Paul Rabinow, an anthropologist, resolute to research not some Pacific island tribe but this new breed of scientists in their natural surroundings–a hot new biotechnology company. He chose Cetus, a company that developed a course of action called the polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, a method for replicating large amounts of DNA from tiny samples. His account of the benefits of the commercial approach to research, and of the conflicts over prestige and money, is well-balanced and original.
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Making PCR becomes just unrepresentative at the end. Such fashionable network analysis – “a la Latour” – is directly linked with the rising of a new sort of extreme relativism, or Nihilism – it is not odd when the same author is a Foucaldian follower… His micro-analysis does not provide much in rank apart from an account of the well-known interests of every individual within a scientific community. The author displays some interviews and traces the ties of a social web which supposely clarifies something (?). But, it is indeed a excellent example of current constructivist approaches. The monography achieves to clarify what is going on in the creation of PCR – just from the top of view of the socials relations nearly the scientific fact- , but it does not clarify much about the relation between social variable and content of knowledge, so the content of science is again black-boxed. There is not much interest in such approach apart from the similarities with other precedent works (Knorr-Cetina, Latour, Woolgar, Mulkay and so forth.)
Rating: 1 / 5
Making PCR becomes just unrepresentative at the end. Such fashionable network analysis – “a la Latour” – is directly linked with the rising of a new sort of extreme relativism, or Nihilism – it is not odd when the same author is a Foucaldian follower… His micro-analysis does not provide much in rank apart from an account of the well-known interests of every individual within a scientific community. The author displays some interviews and traces the ties of a social web which supposely clarifies something (?). But, it is indeed a excellent example of current constructivist approaches. The monography achieves to clarify what is going on in the creation of PCR – just from the top of view of the socials relations nearly the scientific fact- , but it does not clarify much about the relation between social variable and content of knowledge, so the content of science is again black-boxed. There is not much interest in such approach apart from the similarities with other precedent works (Knorr-Cetina, Latour, Woolgar, Mulkay and so forth.)
Rating: 1 / 5
An fascinating read, occasionally weakened by dull-witted style. Interviews with those caught up were enlightening, as were author’s observations on industry / academic collaboration in biotech.
If you’re in the mileu (Aaaaah!!!), read the book.
Rating: 3 / 5
“Making PCR” is a valuable book for the simple reason that there is no other resource attempting to provide a detailed account of the development of the polymerase chain reaction, the key molecular biological technique of our age. Though small the book is trying to read for stylistic reasons and fails to resolution some of the principal questions it poses. At times, it reads like a rough draft, offering poorly digested clumps of primary sources without any particular rhyme or reason. Most of the questions that drove me to read the book (e.g. did Mullis really take the thought for PCR uncredited from Knappe, was TAQ polymerase not really the thought of Mullis, and if so, then whose thought was it? etc.) remained unaswered at the end of Rabinow’s book. Still, “Making PCR” gives a fascinating vignette of how science really works.
The tale starts with the founding of Cetus, the biotechnological corporation in which PCR was developed, giving a small synopsis of its early exploits, particularly the research on IL2. The author hems and haws quite a bit about IL2, even though the theme has only passing relevance to the PCR tale. There is a rather long interview with one of Cetus’s executives, inserted en block, unedited into the narrative. The contender, Gelfand, dilates about his days fighting for civil rights in Mississippi, which is revealing from a really different perspective, but again has effectively zero relevance to PCR. There are several other raw interviews simply inserted en block into the text without any firm motivation.
After much delayed gratification, the narrative finally winds to Mullis and PCR. I guess Rabinow paints Mullis as a brilliant, but flaky thought man, who never would have succeeded in “making PCR” without his dedicated co-workers. The author suggests that others should have mutual the Nobel Prize for PCR with Mullis, but never suggests which or why.
To summarize, “Making PCR” is probably only of interest to professional molecular biologists. There are very few revelations, and most of these can be gleaned off of the internet.
Rating: 4 / 5
I found the ethnographic approach to be a excellent way for those of us without a hard science background to look at biotechnology. Some of the explanations of the processes caught up in the advancements made that led to PCR were a bit over my head, but fascinatingly, were not necessary for me to know the larger (and I reckon more vital) aspects of the tale. It showed me the human element behind scientific progress that I had not considered before; the opportunity encounters, relationships, private challenges, influences on thoughts, and personalities behind the science. I was assigned this book as a class reading and was not thrilled at the task at first, but I have garnered a new perspective on and a better understanding of biotechnology in the administer. Not terrible at all.
Rating: 4 / 5