Elizabeth Blackburn and the story of telomeres - Catherine Brady

Molecular biologist Elizabeth Blackburn--one of Time magazine's 100
"Most Influential People in the World" in 2007--made headlines in 2004
when she was dismissed from the President's Council on Bioethics after objecting to
the council's call for a moratorium on stem cell research and protesting the
suppression of relevant scientific evidence in its final report. But it is
Blackburn's groundbreaking work on telomeric DNA, which launched the field of
telomere research, that will have the more profound and long-lasting effect on
science and society. In this compelling biography, Catherine Brady tells the story
of Elizabeth Blackburn's life and work and the emergence of a new field of
scientific research on the specialized ends of chromosomes and the enzyme,
telomerase, that extends them. In the early stages of telomere research, telomerase,
heralded as a potential cure for cancer and diseases related to aging, attracted the
voracious interest of biotech companies. The surrounding hype succeeded in confusing
the role of telemorase in extending the life of a cell with a mechanism that might
extend the lifespan of an entire organism. In Brady's hands, Blackburn's story
reveals much about the tension between pure and applied science, the politicking
that makes research science such a competitive field, and the resourceful
opportunism that characterizes the best scientific thinking. Brady describes the
science accessibly and compellingly. She explores Blackburn's struggle to break down
barriers in an elite, male-dominated profession, her role as a mentor to other women
scientists (many of whom have made their mark in telomere research), and the
collaborative nature of scientific work. This book gives us a vivid portrait of an
exceptional woman and a new understanding of the combination of curiosity,
imaginative speculation, and aesthetic delight that powers scientific
discovery.Catherine Brady is Assistant Professor in the MFA in Writing Program at
the University of San Francisco. She is the author of two collections of short
stories, The End of the Class War and Curled in the Bed of Love (a winner of the
2002 Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction).