Making Genes, Making Waves: A Social Activist in Science

In 1969, Jon Beckwith and his colleagues succeeded in isolating a gene from the chromosome of a living organism. Announcing this startling achievement at a press conference, Beckwith took the opportunity to issue a public warning about the dangers of genetic engineering. Jon Beckwith's book, the story of a scientific life on the front line, traces one remarkable man's dual commitment to scientific research and social responsibility over the course of a career spanning most of the postwar history of genetics and molecular biology. A thoroughly engrossing memoir that recounts Beckwith's halting steps toward scientific triumphs--among them, the discovery of the genetic element that turns genes on--as well as his emergence as a world-class political activist, Making Genes, Making Waves is also a compelling history of the major controversies in genetics over the last thirty years. Presenting the science in easily understandable terms, Beckwith describes the dramatic changes that transformed biology between the late 1950s and our day, the growth of the radical science movement in the 1970s, and the personalities involved throughout. He brings to light the differing styles of scientists as well as the different ways in which science is presented within the scientific community and to the public at large. Ranging from the travails of Robert Oppenheimer and the atomic bomb to the Human Genome Project and recent "Science Wars," Beckwith's book provides a sweeping view of science and its social context in the latter half of the twentieth century.

About the Author :
Jon Beckwith is American Cancer Society Research Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Harvard Medical School.

Review :
Making Genes, Making Waves consists of a generally chronological series of vignettes detailing Beckwith’s role in raising the consciousness of the genetics community and the public (‘making waves’) interspersed with brief descriptions of his laboratory research problems at various times (‘making genes’). The prose is crisp, the episodes engaging and, as a heuristic of a successful modern American scientist with a social conscience, the book is probably without peer. In 1969, a Harvard Medical School group headed by Jon Beckwith accomplished a first in molecular biology—the isolation of a gene… When their paper appeared in Nature, they held an extraordinary press conference in which they described their work and warned of the danger that it might lead to… The press conference received international media coverage, and Beckwith found himself embarked on a double career—a continuing one in research and a new one of social activism in science. His Making Genes, Making Waves is an absorbing account of how these two strands in his life were woven into a durable braid. The prose is straightforward, and Beckwith is refreshingly frank, revealing the divagations and doubts that marked his course in research. In this beautifully written autobiography, Beckwith…vividly describes aspects of the ‘cultural revolution in science that molecular biology brought with it,’ epitomized by…major public controversies about genetics in the United States from the 1960s… Beckwith has portrayed a fascinating period in the history of modern biology and of the interaction of science and society in the Western world. Thanks to him and other activists, social injustices resulting from the application of genetics are now widely discussed and, in democracies, meet with legal measures and regulation. In this book Beckwith, a committed scientist…calls for greater humility about what science can and cannot accomplish. This is a call that scientists would do well to take seriously. Jon Beckwith in Making Genes, Making Waves reminds us that he first warned about the social impact of genetic engineering back in 1969. His autobiography shows what hard work it is to combine science and politics, to keep different networks of interests alive. This autobiography charts [Beckwith’s] journey through both aspects of his life in the second half of the 20th century: the research of his professional career, and his personal crusade to inform society of biological developments and involve us all in deciding how the new knowledge should be applied. Since he has made a significant contribution in both areas, the book is a fascinating read. He provides a frank but kindly description of his collaborators and other researchers, and an insightful account of science as practiced in several very different laboratories… Society is very much the better for the efforts of those such as Beckwith who clearly enjoy the challenge of describing complex issues to non-specialists and participating in debates as to how new knowledge should be used. Making Genes, Making Waves is a compelling history of the controversies in genetics over the last half century. Making Genes, Making Waves has special credibility coming from one of America’s most distinguished microbiologists. It is a must read for any young scientist who is concerned by the tension between the beautiful rationality of science and the sometimes disconcerting outcomes of its application. The renowned scientist Jon Beckwith wrote Making Genes, Making Waves so that students could learn an oft-hidden truth: it is possible to become a successful scientist and still be a social activist within science. Jon Beckwith presents a compelling story of his career-long attempt to integrate two roles, that of the research scientist and that of the social activist. With luck, his lucid narrative will inspire others to follow his example. Beckwith’s Making Genes, Making Waves shows that the commitment to social responsibility is entirely compatible with commitment to science; that love of science can coexist with serious qualms about its social consequences. It is rare to find an honest man describing how he became a first-rate scientist while his mixed feelings about the role and function of science turned him into an effective social activist. Making Genes, Making Waves is an excellent account, by a participant, of the debates about science and society that occurred in the last 30 or 40 years. It is especially interesting that the same man who was engaged in social activism was producing the best of the science that generated so much passion.