Life Illuminated

This book is the second volume of an intellectual history of the science done at CSHL (the first volume, Illuminating Life, showed that genetics became the dominant theme of research at CSH by as early as 1904). The appointment of James Watson as Director of the Laboratory in 1968 set off the explosive research development at CSH, as he recruited widely and wisely teams of investigators with diverse scientific interests. From this collection of papers, presented in full on the accompanying CD, several themes emerge: the characterization and exploitation of mobile genetic elements; the mechanics of DNA replication and regulation of the cell cycle; the behavior and internal architecture of cells; how viruses induce tumors; the discovery of cancer genes; the characteristics of neurons; and the invention of techniques that make possible further progress. Each theme is introduced in the context of the science of the time, and each paper has a commentary by, in most cases, one of its authors. Life Illuminated is a story of scientific innovation and achievement, told in the words of the investigators themselves.