book reviews

Behind the scenes of the HGP Physiology or Medicine for 2002. The insights into how nature works that are The Common Thread: A Story of Science, Politics, Ethics, and the gained through the study of the worm and Human Genome the acquisition of knowledge for its own By John Sulston and Georgina Ferry sake are described with an almost nostal- Joseph Henry Press, $24.95, ISBN 0-30908-409-1, 2002 gic sense of what, perhaps, brings many of Reviewed by James R. Lupski us to the profession—doing science Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA. because it is fun! The middle chapters detail science as big business: the battle between private Future geneticists will probably reflect on with known genetic landmarks. John Sul- enterprise and open public access. It’s here the Human Genome Project (HGP) as a ston describes hearing “the prison door that the personalities of the participants of milestone in their field. Perhaps it will be shut behind them” as they committed to a the HGP come alive—in short, the good, recognized alongside the chromosome pilot project to sequence 3 million the bad and the ugly. Interesting perspec- theory of inheritance, the nucleotides of the 100 tives are offered, including attribution of transforming material as million–base pair worm the discovery of the technique of finding DNA, the double helical genome. The enormity of genes by generating expressed-sequence structure for the genetic what they had just under- tags to Paul Schimmel and colleagues at material and the cracking taken made this a pivotal the Massachusetts Institute of Technology of the genetic code. But moment in the long- and not to the HGP participant who the HGP has certainly standing collegial rela- spearheaded the private effort. Political distinguished itself from tionship and friendship agendas are revealed, to a degree perhaps other landmark events in of Sulston and Waterston not seen before in modern basic science. genetics not only by an and in what would even- Science by press release and even awards http://www.nature.com/naturegenetics absence of hypothesis- tually become their by press release are detailed. The authors driven science but also by involvement in the HGP, show examples of the power of public being mired in politics and it comes up again relations to exert influence beyond what is and the ‘good versus evil’ later in the book. justified. In the authors’ own words, the interplay of public access The Common Thread HGP has been surrounded by hype, and versus private enterprise. reveals a great deal about some aspects, particularly the commercial The Common Thread by what took place behind venture, “have been a remarkable example John Sulston and the scenes of the HGP as of the Emperor’s New Clothes”. The Georgina Ferry is an viewed from the perspec- authors tell a real human-interest story in intriguing portrayal of tive of one scientist. The which personal lives are interwoven with the inner workings of the HGP and the fact that one of the authors is a well professional lives and portray the many personalities involved. respected scientist and highly active HGP human traits involved, including the less The book begins with a prologue in participant adds a credibility to the story attractive ones of ego, deceit and greed. which John Sulston and Bob Waterston that is perhaps wanting in other rendi- (Good luck trying to map those!) © Group 2003 Nature Publishing stand at the Syosset station waiting for the tions of these historical events viewed Nevertheless, the book leaves us with a Long Island Railroad train to New York on from the perspective of a journalist or sci- sense that the good guys won, that the prin- their way home from the 1989 Cold ence writer. ciple of free release of human sequence Spring Harbor Symposium on the biology The opening chapters describe the data is a moral imperative and not one of of the nematode worm. During that meet- atmosphere of the famous Medical two equally valid alternative choices, and ing they were challenged by Jim Watson’s Research Council Laboratory of Molecu- that the draft and now almost-complete statement, “You can’t see it without want- lar Biology and the author’s foray into C. human genome sequence is truly a remark- ing to sequence it, can you?” after he vis- elegans biology under the leadership of able achievement for all—the common ited their poster describing the genome of Sydney Brenner and among colleagues thread that joins us. Moreover, like the sci- Caenorhabditis elegans as ordered, over- like Bob Horvitz, over three decades ence of yesteryear, the book is informative lapping pieces of worm DNA studded before they would share the Nobel Prize in and fun. „

nature genetics • volume 33 • april 2003 447