Life Decoded

Craig Venter is no ordinary scientist, and no ordinary man. He is the first human being ever to read their own DNA - and see the key to life itself. This book tells the story of his life: from teenage rebel and Vietnam medic, to sailor and maverick researcher, whose race to unravel the sequence of the human genome made him both hero and pariah. Craig Venter is no ordinary scientist, and no ordinary man. He is the first human being ever to read their own DNA – and see the key to life itself. Yet in doing so, he rocked the establishment and became embroiled in one of the biggest controversies of our age. This is the story of his incredible life: from teenage rebel and Vietnam medic, to daredevil sailor and maverick researcher, whose race to unravel the sequence of the human genome made him both hero and pariah. Incorporating his own genetic make-up into his story, this is an electrifying portrait of a man who pushed back the boundaries of the possible.

A leading genomic research scientist traces his lackluster education and military service in Vietnam before discovering his interest in scientific pursuits, his early achievements at the National Institutes of Health, and his sequencing of the first genome prior to the more expensive ventures of the Human Genome Project. Reprint.