Author:John Sulston,Georgina Ferry
John Sulston was director of the Sanger Centre in Cambridge from 1993 to 2000. There he led the British arm of the international team selected to map the entire human DNA sequence, a feat that was pulled off in record time by an extraordinary collaboration of scientists. Despite innumerable setbacks and challenges from outside competitors the ultimate success of the project can be attributed in large part to John Sulston's own determination, passion and scientific excellence.
In this personal account he takes us behind the scenes of one of the largest international scientific operations ever undertaken. He is frank about the competition with Craig Venter and Celera Genomics, which threatened to undermine the international community's attempts to make the sequence freely available to everyone. He shares with us his excitement as the project unfolded. And as a pragmatist he reveals his hopes and concerns as to how the information unlocked by the Human Genome Project will affect people's lives in the future.
The Common Thread is at once a compelling history of this most exciting of scientific breakthroughs and also an impassioned call for ethical responsibility in scientific research. As the boundaries between science and big business increasingly blur, and researchers race to patent medical discoveries, the international community needs to find a common protocol for the protection of the wider human interest. The Common Thread tells a story of our shared human heritage, offering hope for future research and a fresh outlook on our scientific understanding of ourselves.
'Unputdownable...an insider's story of one of the century's greatest technopolitical ventures'
—— Guardian'Burns with a passion and a sense of injustice that I have never felt before in a book by a successful scientist...anyone who is fascinated by the politics and ethics of research should read it'
—— Financial Times'Our nation is much the richer for Sulston's existence'
—— ObserverYour complete guide to British wildlife. This beautiful and timeless book will be treasured for years to come by children and parents alike
—— Daily TelegraphThis book's boundless enthusiasm for the countryside is infectious. And detailed but easy to understand wildlife guides will have you reaching for the binoculars
—— Easy LivingIt's time to pull on your wellies and enjoy the great outdoors! Filled with facts, stories and illustrations of British flora and fauna
—— Sainsbury's MagazineA host of ways for families to enjoy nature
—— Junior MagazineThrillingly original memoir ... extraordinary
—— Lynn Barber , The Sunday TimesTo write a book about a year's bird-watching as keenly observed as this, you have to be dedicated to the point of obsession; to write one as transcendent, you must be a poet
—— Christopher Somerville , The Times, Christmas BooksAs unexpected as it is brilliant... A moving, powerful meditation on the natural world that envelops us, even in the heart of our cities
—— Helen Dunmore , Guardian Summer ReadingHaunting and passionate.... in graceful, poetic prose, compels us to look again and marvel at the 'storm of life over our heads
—— Huon Mallalieu , Country Life, Christmas round upThe year's most unusual travel book
[An] eye-opening and hugely enjoyable book
—— Daily TelegraphWritten in a delectable prose that scatters flashes of poetry over a sardonic undertow of social comment, Edgelands is a lyrical triumph. On Britain’s grotty margins, the duo trace “desire paths” to find beauty and mystery in the rough darkness on the edge of town
—— Boyd Tonkin , Independent