About the book
The biochemist Erwin Chargaff recalls his life and his work in Vienna and America. Along the way he casts light on his DNA research and on the work and opinions that earned him a reputation as a maverick.
Eric Weinstein of Thiel Capital called it an unusual pick: Chargaff told Watson and Crick they did not know their chemistry and were not qualified to work on DNA, and turned out to be wrong.
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This book has 1 recommendation
Eric Weinstein (Managing Director/Thiel Capital)
I have another weird recommendation, which is the book Heraclitean Fire by Erwin Chargaff, who effectively shorted Watson and Crick. He told Watson and Crick that he didn't think that they were very good or very smart, and that they didn't know their chemistry. They weren't qualified to work on DNA, etc. It turned out that they got it right, and he got it wrong. When I heard that there was somebody who bet against Watson and Crick, I thought, "Well, this is just going to be the laugh of the century", but it turned out that just to short those guys required another genius. He writes about trying to suppress these guys and failing because they were right and he was wrong. He has enough presence of mind to struggle with it. [...] These are books that I think are incredibly powerful because they talk about what it's like to be one against the many.
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