Overview

Who could have guessed that the lowly fruit fly might hold the key for decoding heredity? Or that the mouse might one day disclose astonishing evolutionary secrets? In a book infused with wisdom, wonder, and a healthy dose of wry skepticism, Nobel Prize-winning geneticist Francois Jacob walks us through the surprising ways of science, particularly the science of biology, in this century. ""Of Flies, Mice, and Men ""is at once a work of history, a social study of the role of scientists in the modern world, and a cautionary tale of the bumbling and brilliance, imagination and luck, that attend scientific discovery. A book about molecules, reproduction, and evolutionary tinkering, it is also about the way biologists work, and how they contemplate beauty and truth, good and evil. Animated with anecdotes from Greek mythology, literature, episodes from the history of science, and personal experience, ""Of Flies, Mice, and Men"" tells the story of how the marvelous discoveries of molecular and developmental biology are transforming our understanding of who we are and where we came from. In particular, Jacob scrutinizes the place of the scientist in society. Alternately cast as the soothsayer Tiresias, the conscienceless inventor Daedalus, or Prometheus, conveyer of dangerous knowledge, the scientist in our day must instead adopt the role of truthteller, Jacob suggests. And the crucial truth that molecular biology teaches is the one he elaborates with great clarity and grace in this book: that all animals are made of the same building blocks, by a combinatorial system that always rearranges the same elements according to new forms.

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Francois Jacob received the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology in 1965 for his work on the mechanisms of gene regulation in microorganisms. Of Flies Mice and Men , translated by Giselle Weiss, includes reminiscences about the collaboration and insights that led to the prize. But the book is more of a thoughtfully considered treatise on the mechanisms of the research scientists responsible for eliciting nature's more elusive secrets. -- Susan Wilcox Washington Times

[Francois Jacob] is one of the few scientists who write comprehensively and eloquently...If there were more books like this, genetics might not be under such an attack as it is now.--Benno Muller ""Nature (review of the French edition) "" Francois Jacob made his scientific name by discovering how genes are switched on and off in bacteria, and became known as a writer for his moving autobiography ""The Statue Within"". In his latest book, ""Of Flies Mice, and Men"", he asks what decides whether a fertilized egg develops into a mouse, a fly, or a human...Jacob's thesis is that much of evolution has arisen from Nature's tinkering. Just as mechanics put new cars together by tinkering with bits and pieces from several old ones, the processes of Nature make new genes which code for proteins with new functions by putting together bits and pieces from several existing genes in new ways, or simply replacing bits and pieces in existing genes...Jacob's book is masterly in combining erudition, wit, and wisdom. It is marvelously clear in describing what we know about the fundamental questions of life and the laws that determine the growth of each species--and what we don't know.--M. F. Perutz ""New York Review of Books "" Francois Jacob received the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology in 1965 for his work on the mechanisms of gene regulation in microorganisms. ""Of Flies Mice and Men"", translated by Giselle Weiss, includes reminiscences about the collaboration and insights that led to the prize. But the book is more of a thoughtfully considered treatise on the mechanisms of the research scientists responsible for eliciting nature's more elusive secrets.--Susan Wilcox ""Washington Times "" Jacob won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1965 with his work on genetics, and he is a storyteller of great style, always stopping to quote from ""Candide"" or remind us of a Greek myth or two...This book deals in detail with revolutions in 20th-century biology in experiments on flies, mice, yeasts and so on, but Jacob...is mostly concerned with the scientist's own place in society, sprinkling the pages with anecdotes from his own working life and pensees from sociologists.--Steven Poole ""The Guardian "" Jacob's text...is itself an example of combinatorial mosaics and models the very processes that he describes. He anchors his case with genetic engineering, he polishes it with classical myths and anecdotes about politicians and biologists, and he decorates his creation with observations about human good and even the arts.--James Brody""Metapsychology Online Review"" (07/01/2001) On the scene of philosophizing biologists, Francois Jacob stands out because of his literary skill in the poetic evocation of human feelings...Drawing on his humane understanding and a lifetime of research, Jacob reflects on the deeper meaning of the practical triumphs and moral quandaries brought on by the molecular-biological revolution in the last few decades of the 20th century.--Gunther S. Stent ""Endeavour "" Philosophical in both tone and content, [Jacob] somehow manages to transpose the mystery of embryonic development into an allegory for life, the Universe and everything. It's a scholarly tome, the sort of book that makes us feel intelligent without really understanding why...He manages to make molecules sound interesting by marveling at the resourcefulness of evolution, which he calls evolutionary tinkering.--Martin Brookes ""New Scientist "" Written by one of the founders of molecular biology, this volume is part autobiography, part review of some key discoveries in biology, and part philosophical discussion about the meaning of those discoveries. Jacob also provides some historical background and discusses the social and cultural implications of recent advances in molecular biology. He covers much ground, but one of his key themes is the tremendous amount of information about all life that has been learned by studying model organisms, in particular, bacteria, fruit flies, and mice. Another key theme is the rapid pace of change in biological knowledge over the past few decades...A useful complement to existing library collections about the history and philosophy of science, and the social and ethical implications of modern biology.--P. Guilfoile ""Choice "" [Franc ois Jacob] is one of the few scientists who write comprehensively and eloquently... If there were more books like this, genetics might not be under such an attack as it is now. -- Benno Mu ller ""Nature (review of the French edition)"" Franc ois Jacob made his scientific name by discovering how genes are switched on and off in bacteria, and became known as a writer for his moving autobiography ""The Statue Within."" In his latest book, ""Of Flies Mice, and Men,"" he asks what decides whether a fertilized egg develops into a mouse, a fly, or a human...Jacob's thesis is that much of evolution has arisen from Nature's tinkering. Just as mechanics put new cars together by tinkering with bits and pieces from several old ones, the processes of Nature make new genes which code for proteins with new functions by putting together bits and pieces from several existing genes in new ways, or simply replacing bits and pieces in existing genes...Jacob's book is masterly in combining erudition, wit, and wisdom. It is marvelously clear in describing what we know about the fundamental questions of life and the laws that determine the growth of each species--and what we don't know. -- M. F. Perutz ""New York Review of Books"" Franc ois Jacob received the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology in 1965 for his work on the mechanisms of gene regulation in microorganisms. ""Of Flies Mice and Men,"" translated by Giselle Weiss, includes reminiscences about the collaboration and insights that led to the prize. But the book is more of a thoughtfully considered treatise on the mechanisms of the research scientists responsible for eliciting nature's more elusive secrets. -- Susan Wilcox ""Washington Times"" On the scene of philosophizing biologists, Franc ois Jacob stands out because of his literary skill in the poetic evocation of human feelings...Drawing on his humane understanding and a lifetime of research, Jacob reflects on the deeper meaning of the practical triumphs and moral quandaries brought on by the molecular-biological revolution in the last few decades of the 20th century. -- Gunther S. Stent ""Endeavour"" Philosophical in both tone and content, ÝJacob¨ somehow manages to transpose the mystery of embryonic development into an allegory for life, the Universe and everything. It's a scholarly tome, the sort of book that makes us feel intelligent without really understanding why...He manages to make molecules sound interesting by marveling at the resourcefulness of evolution, which he calls evolutionary tinkering. -- Martin Brookes ""New Scientist"" Using his own storied career as a backdrop, Jacob reveals the ways of a scientist in unraveling the mysteries of life...In seven eloquent essays, he tells, for instance, how the miniscule fruit fly revealed the passing of genetic traits and how mice became a primary organism for research. Above all, he scrutinizes the role of the scientist in society, often recalling the legacy of the ancient Greeks.

A writer of style and substance narrates the transforming events of recent biology in seven inspired essays, neatly translated by Weiss. Jacob, 1965 Nobel laureate in genetics and author of the well-received autobiography The Statue Within (1988), reviews critical findings in biology wrought by two decades of research in genetic engineering. Quoting Lewis Thomas's suggestion that the importance of a piece of research can be measured by the intensity of the surprise it provokes, his essays underscore the point. It was astonishing, for example, to discover the commonality of genes across species. The master genes that determine the anterior-posterior orientation of a fly's body (leading to the positioning of organs) are cousins to the genes that regulate body orientation of worms, frogs, and humans. The genes coding for the myriad proteins that build the body's structure and take responsibility for the body's chemistry - regardless of species - are variations on some 2,000 bits of DNA sequence, assembled like a mosaic to form an endless variety of proteins (current jargon speaks of protein motifs, domains, and modules ). The same recombination of DNA pieces enables the immune system to come up with antibodies suited to whatever new antigen threatens the body. This gives evolutionary biology a new twist, claims Jacob. Instead of regarding each gene as a unique entity, nature continually tinkers with a basic set of DNA bits, coming up with new genes that may be selected for. He reveals this and more about art and science, beauty and truth, good and evil, and our continued quest for knowledge, with telling allusions to literature, myth, painting, and music. Some concluding remarks: The century that is ending has been preoccupied with nucleic acids and proteins. The next one will concentrate on memory and desire. Will it be able to answer the questions they pose? If the likes of Jacob remain, there's hope. (Kirkus Reviews)

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