J Craig Venter

A Life Decoded

Craig Venter has caused quite a stir in the scientific community, in that he turned the sequencing of the Human Genome into something of a race. He has also been criticised for his part in the commercialisation of the genome. In A Life Decoded:My Genome:My Life Venter tells his side of the story.

Taking a break from his job as a medic in the Vietnam war, Venter went for a swim, but had to swim back with one arm, using the other to hold off a poisonous sea-snake - you quickly find out the way Venter does things.

Venter entered the academic world, but was always keen to get ahead, and was soon running his own department. He became impatient with the delays and bureaucracy of government funding and so looked for funding from commercial sources. He wanted to be at the forefront of research, and would try to get the best out of his team, overcoming the teething troubles of the latest equipment. Unfortunately this meant that his results sometimes couldn't be reproduced by others, leading to doubts about their reliability. Venter soon was aiming at the prize of the Human Genome Sequence. His 'shotgun' technique offered the prospect of being able to sequence the whole genome, rather than labouring away with a part at a time. This meant that the sequencing was done several years ahead of schedule.

On the issue of commercialisation, Venter implies that he always aimed to make his results as widely available as possible, but would accept commercialisation if that meant that he could proceed faster. No doubt those interested in this aspect of the story will want to read other books on the subject, but this one certainly gives an important viewpoint on the human genome project.

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Hardcover 400 pages
ISBN: 0670063584
Salesrank: 62284
Weight:1.5 lbs

Published: 2007 Viking Adult

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Hardcover 400 pages
ISBN: 0713997249
Salesrank: 108372
Weight:1.63 lbs

Published: 2007 Allen Lane

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Hardcover 400 pages
ISBN: 0670063584
Salesrank: 47018
Weight:1.5 lbs

Published: 2007 Viking USA

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Product Description
The triumphant true story of the man who achieved one of the greatest feats of our era—the mapping of the human genome Growing up in California, Craig Venter didn’t appear to have much of a future. An unremarkable student, he nearly flunked out of high school. After being drafted into the army, he enlisted in the navy and went to Vietnam, where the life and death struggles he encountered as a medic piqued his interest in science and medicine. After pursuing his advanced degrees, Venter quickly established himself as a brilliant and outspoken scientist. In 1984 he joined the National Institutes of Health, where he introduced novel techniques for rapid gene discovery, and left in 1991 to form his own nonprofit genomics research center, where he sequenced the first genome in history in 1995. In 1998 he announced that he would successfully sequence the human genome years earlier, and for far less money, than the government-sponsored Human Genome Project would— a prediction he kept in 2001. A Life Decoded is the triumphant story of one of the most fascinating and controversial figures in science today. In his riveting and inspiring account Venter tells of the unparalleled drama of the quest for the human genome, a tale that involves as much politics (personal and political) as science. He also reveals how he went on to be the first to read and interpret his own genome and what it will mean for all of us to do the same. He describes his recent sailing expedition to sequence microbial life in the ocean, as well as his groundbreaking attempt to create synthetic life. Here is one of the key scientific chronicles of our lifetime, as told by the man who beat the odds to make it happen.

Product Description

The triumphant true story of the man who achieved one of the greatest feats of our era—the mapping of the human genome

Growing up in California, Craig Venter didn’t appear to have much of a future. An unremarkable student, he nearly flunked out of high school. After being drafted into the army, he enlisted in the navy and went to Vietnam, where the life and death struggles he encountered as a medic piqued his interest in science and medicine. After pursuing his advanced degrees, Venter quickly established himself as a brilliant and outspoken scientist. In 1984 he joined the National Institutes of Health, where he introduced novel techniques for rapid gene discovery, and left in 1991 to form his own nonprofit genomics research center, where he sequenced the first genome in history in 1995. In 1998 he announced that he would successfully sequence the human genome years earlier, and for far less money, than the government-sponsored Human Genome Project would— a prediction he kept in 2001.

A Life Decoded is the triumphant story of one of the most fascinating and controversial figures in science today. In his riveting and inspiring account Venter tells of the unparalleled drama of the quest for the human genome, a tale that involves as much politics (personal and political) as science. He also reveals how he went on to be the first to read and interpret his own genome and what it will mean for all of us to do the same. He describes his recent sailing expedition to sequence microbial life in the ocean, as well as his groundbreaking attempt to create synthetic life. Here is one of the key scientific chronicles of our lifetime, as told by the man who beat the odds to make it happen.

Prickly and a bit technical, but fascinating nonetheless ****
This is a memoir by the scientist whose team was the first to map the human genome - and handily beat the federal government at the task with less funding and time. Unfortunately, the latter half of the book is less about science than the politics and business around it. Not only do scientists at Venter's level have to cozy up to venture capitalists, Congresspersons, and Presidents (and get courted and used by them in turn), but there's a lot of self-promotion and jockeying for position between and among colleagues. Venter doesn't sound particularly bitter about petty, two-faced, and undermining peers (there are plenty) and their apparently dishonorable behavior, but he clearly gets back his own with this book. Thus, the greatest scientific achievement of Venter's life reads less compellingly than the more quotidian aspects of his earlier life and career: playing chicken with trains as a kid, racing jets with a bicycle as they lifted off from San Francisco Airport, and the lessons of the "University of Death" that was Vietnam, where Venter served as a medic at Da Nang navy hospital. Venter's descriptions of the science he pursues assume a fair amount of knowledge on the part of the reader, and may be tough for the lay reader to follow, but are always thankfully short. Sailors may enjoy the accounts of his escapes to the ocean, handily winning a trans-Atlantic race and fighting a storm in the Bermuda Triangle. One of the stronger features of the book are boxes set off from the narrative that describe various details of Venter's own genetic code in relation to the latest findings about inheritance, disease, and how genes express themselves in our bodies and lives. Others discuss possible genetic links to long life, cancerous tumors, blindness, depression, eye color, Alzheimers, diabetes, thrill seeking, irregular heartbeat, fatness, cardiac vulnerability to caffeine, asthma, addictions, and circadian rhythms. Even if such knowledge doesn't lead to cures, identifying markers in one's genes could certainly guide preventive nutrition and medical practices. The greatest lesson of Venter's memoir involves the complex dance between chance and will. He escaped death repeatedly and seized opportunities as often through forces beyond his control as by choice. For him, the old nature vs. nurture debate is so beside the point it is hardly worth acknowledging: "An organism's environment is ultimately as unique as its genetic code."

Prickly and a bit technical, but fascinating nonetheless ****

This is a memoir by the scientist whose team was the first to map the human genome - and handily beat the federal government at the task with less funding and time. Unfortunately, the latter half of the book is less about science than the politics and business around it. Not only do scientists at Venter's level have to cozy up to venture capitalists, Congresspersons, and Presidents (and get courted and used by them in turn), but there's a lot of self-promotion and jockeying for position between and among colleagues.

Venter doesn't sound particularly bitter about petty, two-faced, and undermining peers (there are plenty) and their apparently dishonorable behavior, but he clearly gets back his own with this book. Thus, the greatest scientific achievement of Venter's life reads less compellingly than the more quotidian aspects of his earlier life and career: playing chicken with trains as a kid, racing jets with a bicycle as they lifted off from San Francisco Airport, and the lessons of the "University of Death" that was Vietnam, where Venter served as a medic at Da Nang navy hospital.

Venter's descriptions of the science he pursues assume a fair amount of knowledge on the part of the reader, and may be tough for the lay reader to follow, but are always thankfully short. Sailors may enjoy the accounts of his escapes to the ocean, handily winning a trans-Atlantic race and fighting a storm in the Bermuda Triangle. One of the stronger features of the book are boxes set off from the narrative that describe various details of Venter's own genetic code in relation to the latest findings about inheritance, disease, and how genes express themselves in our bodies and lives.

Others discuss possible genetic links to long life, cancerous tumors, blindness, depression, eye color, Alzheimers, diabetes, thrill seeking, irregular heartbeat, fatness, cardiac vulnerability to caffeine, asthma, addictions, and circadian rhythms. Even if such knowledge doesn't lead to cures, identifying markers in one's genes could certainly guide preventive nutrition and medical practices.

The greatest lesson of Venter's memoir involves the complex dance between chance and will. He escaped death repeatedly and seized opportunities as often through forces beyond his control as by choice. For him, the old nature vs. nurture debate is so beside the point it is hardly worth acknowledging: "An organism's environment is ultimately as unique as its genetic code."

life and ego Decoded ****
First and foremost, I am not a "biology" person. The highest of Biology courses I took were undergraduate. But I have always been fascinated by the topic of genetics. Venter's life story is riveting. From the get go, he makes no apology for deciding to write his own biography and so soon, too. From this, I gathered that he was a bit of an egomaniac but face facts, he did and has accomplished something truly visionary and if one likes to toot his own horn, I say he has earned it. Once, the reader can wrap his/her mind around this fact, you can truly focus on the science and the man. Yes, he doesn't seem to put himself in the side as being the only person that was never in it for money but in the same breathe, he also succinctly tells you that regardless, he was not going to let others take advantage of him. His early childhood in San Francisco, being borderline bad, and going to Vietnam and it having such a deep impact on him is humbling. He decided where and how far he wanted to go and he accomplished it all. His tale is a little one sided in bits and I guess no one ever really wants to cast themselves in a poor light but I feel that if he had accepted fault for something, well anything, the book would be all so much more powerful and victorious. He also keeps his personal life out of the story, barely mentioning his first wife, the second one or the fact that at some point he was on to number 3 (well almost). The decoding and sequencing of the human genome is one of the greatest scientific breakthroughs of the modern world and simply, because it opens up new infinite possibilities in treating/preventing disease. There is one additional thing to be expected though, he does a gallant job of trying to keep the biology babble to a minimum but to explain what and how he got to where he is, he did have to put in some stuff. So a couple of pages might have you doing a quick scan and moving o:) Enjoy

life and ego Decoded ****

First and foremost, I am not a "biology" person. The highest of Biology courses I took were undergraduate. But I have always been fascinated by the topic of genetics. Venter's life story is riveting. From the get go, he makes no apology for deciding to write his own biography and so soon, too. From this, I gathered that he was a bit of an egomaniac but face facts, he did and has accomplished something truly visionary and if one likes to toot his own horn, I say he has earned it.

Once, the reader can wrap his/her mind around this fact, you can truly focus on the science and the man. Yes, he doesn't seem to put himself in the side as being the only person that was never in it for money but in the same breathe, he also succinctly tells you that regardless, he was not going to let others take advantage of him.

His early childhood in San Francisco, being borderline bad, and going to Vietnam and it having such a deep impact on him is humbling. He decided where and how far he wanted to go and he accomplished it all.
His tale is a little one sided in bits and I guess no one ever really wants to cast themselves in a poor light but I feel that if he had accepted fault for something, well anything, the book would be all so much more powerful and victorious.

He also keeps his personal life out of the story, barely mentioning his first wife, the second one or the fact that at some point he was on to number 3 (well almost).
The decoding and sequencing of the human genome is one of the greatest scientific breakthroughs of the modern world and simply, because it opens up new infinite possibilities in treating/preventing disease.

There is one additional thing to be expected though, he does a gallant job of trying to keep the biology babble to a minimum but to explain what and how he got to where he is, he did have to put in some stuff. So a couple of pages might have you doing a quick scan and moving o:)

Enjoy

Buen Libro Excelente Historia *****
Un muy buen libro, un poco de autobiografia al final del dia... la historia de la ciencia, de la persistencia y la capacidad... la vision para saber que mas alla de lo que vemos, siempre habra respuestas... el camino de lo minusculo a lo infinitamte diminuto... para finalizar en la Vida Misma Gracias "Mr. C Venter"

Buen Libro Excelente Historia *****

Un muy buen libro, un poco de autobiografia
al final del dia... la historia de la ciencia, de la persistencia y la capacidad...
la vision para saber que mas alla de lo que vemos, siempre habra respuestas...
el camino de lo minusculo a lo infinitamte diminuto...
para finalizar en la Vida Misma
Gracias "Mr. C Venter"

What you get when you turn a bright kid loose to play *****
Someone suggested skipping the early chapters in which Venter describes his childhood. That would be a mistake. In contrast to the current day in which parents rigidly structure the free time and play activites of their children, Venter was told in his 1950s childhood to "Go play!". That, plus his high IQ, were a formula for either failure or success on a large scale. Venter succeeded in a grand way that has transformed biology. And he did it in spite of obstacles placed in his way from unexpected, and disappointing, quarters. What, for example, should one make of James Watson and Francis Collins, who could have improved their own images immeasurable by acting for the best of the science, rather than for what was best for themselves? "What's in it for me?" seems to be a common whine heard from many of those working for Venter as well as against him. What he accomplished was a marvelous achievement, made even larger by the fact that he had so much opposition, personal, political, scientific. While this may not be high literature, it is a scientific adventure story of a high order. Read it, and be sure that your children have freedom to play and be creative.

What you get when you turn a bright kid loose to play *****

Someone suggested skipping the early chapters in which Venter describes his childhood. That would be a mistake. In contrast to the current day in which parents rigidly structure the free time and play activites of their children, Venter was told in his 1950s childhood to "Go play!". That, plus his high IQ, were a formula for either failure or success on a large scale. Venter succeeded in a grand way that has transformed biology. And he did it in spite of obstacles placed in his way from unexpected, and disappointing, quarters. What, for example, should one make of James Watson and Francis Collins, who could have improved their own images immeasurable by acting for the best of the science, rather than for what was best for themselves? "What's in it for me?" seems to be a common whine heard from many of those working for Venter as well as against him. What he accomplished was a marvelous achievement, made even larger by the fact that he had so much opposition, personal, political, scientific. While this may not be high literature, it is a scientific adventure story of a high order. Read it, and be sure that your children have freedom to play and be creative.

The book I'd been waiting for *****
January 25, 2008, Page B3, The Wall Street Journal "Scientists Advance In Effort to Create Synthetic Organism" "Biologist Craig Venter and his team replicated a bacterium's genetic structure entirely from laboratory chemicals, moving one step closer to creating the world's first living artificial organism." Craig Venter strikes again. As reported in the story in The Wall Street Journal and other international news, the baddest boy in biology since James Watson and his team made a tremendous, Galileo-like or Einstein-like advance. Venter's story is remarkable. A California surfer dude, he's drafted during the Vietnam War and winds up working in a DaNang hospital treating thousands of mangled and maimed young soldiers. Transformed by trauma, he embarks on a life in medical science, famousy cracking the human genome in 2000 and now seeking to create life itself. The story was told in 2005 by James Shreeve in "The Genome War." It's a fine book. But now we have a first-person account, a tell-all account in which Venter pulls no punches. It may be the finest book about biological science since James Watson's "The Double Helix".

The book I'd been waiting for *****

January 25, 2008, Page B3, The Wall Street Journal
"Scientists Advance In Effort to Create Synthetic Organism"
"Biologist Craig Venter and his team replicated a bacterium's genetic structure entirely from laboratory chemicals, moving one step closer to creating the world's first living artificial organism."

Craig Venter strikes again. As reported in the story in The Wall Street Journal and other international news, the baddest boy in biology since James Watson and his team made a tremendous, Galileo-like or Einstein-like advance.

Venter's story is remarkable. A California surfer dude, he's drafted during the Vietnam War and winds up working in a DaNang hospital treating thousands of mangled and maimed young soldiers. Transformed by trauma, he embarks on a life in medical science, famousy cracking the human genome in 2000 and now seeking to create life itself.

The story was told in 2005 by James Shreeve in "The Genome War." It's a fine book. But now we have a first-person account, a tell-all account in which Venter pulls no punches. It may be the finest book about biological science since James Watson's "The Double Helix".

Build me an alien soon Craig - you should have been in Star Trek *****
Perhaps I'm being unkind but Craig is one of those people whose every life experience somehow has to surpass those of anyone else, you know the sort, his story always tops yours, his anecdote is always the ultimate. He's done it faster, bigger and better than you. But that's my only complaint - this is a fascinating biography set in the fast growing field of molecular biology and it must be well written because it held my attention despite my complete ignorance of biology, molecular or otherwise. Of course its all about Craig and the essential point is that he pioneered the full sequencing/reading of a human genome (program code). Hithertoo I had the impression that Craig was an unscrupulous villain tryng to steal the secrets of our DNA and lock them up for profit. This book sets the record straight. Craig has been sinned against - on the one hand by greedy capitalists who sought to exploit him - and on the other by petty bureaucrats abetted by jealous academics who sought to stiffle him or steal his laurels. No wonder Craig has to pop off on his latest yacht every now and again and have a larger scale man v. nature adventure - but you can skip his yacht excursions without compromising the rest of the book. Finally, I'm sorry to say that Big Jim Watson doesn't emerge very well from this tale. I've long harboured (Cold Spring Harbour ?) a fond image of Watson and Crick rushing into the Eagle that famous Saturday lunchtime in January 1953 and woofing back pints of Abbott to celebrate discovering the meaning of life - and no one in the pub knew what they were talking about! Now my image is a bit dashed, as the "father" of DNA, Jim was no help to Craig's decodering endevours at all - it looks like he was obstructive and possibly devious. Another hero struck off. Good job Craig can take his place. This book is about Craig and molecular biology so far - his next book is going to be about the future. Bring it on !

Build me an alien soon Craig - you should have been in Star Trek *****

Perhaps I'm being unkind but Craig is one of those people whose every life experience somehow has to surpass those of anyone else, you know the sort, his story always tops yours, his anecdote is always the ultimate. He's done it faster, bigger and better than you. But that's my only complaint - this is a fascinating biography set in the fast growing field
of molecular biology and it must be well written because it held my attention despite my complete ignorance of biology, molecular or otherwise. Of course its all about Craig and the essential point is that he pioneered the full sequencing/reading of a human genome (program code). Hithertoo I had the impression that Craig was an unscrupulous villain tryng to steal the secrets of our DNA and lock them up for profit. This book sets the record straight. Craig has been sinned against - on the one hand by greedy capitalists who sought to exploit him - and on the other by petty bureaucrats abetted by jealous academics who sought to stiffle him or steal his laurels. No wonder Craig has to pop off on his latest yacht every now and again and have a larger scale man v. nature adventure - but you can skip his yacht excursions without compromising the rest of the book. Finally, I'm sorry to say that Big Jim Watson doesn't emerge very well from this tale. I've long harboured (Cold Spring Harbour ?) a fond image of Watson and Crick rushing into the Eagle that famous Saturday lunchtime in January 1953 and woofing back pints of Abbott to celebrate discovering the meaning of life - and no one in the pub knew what they were talking about! Now my image is a bit dashed, as the "father" of DNA, Jim was no help to Craig's decodering endevours at all - it looks like he was obstructive and possibly devious. Another hero struck off. Good job Craig can take his place. This book is about Craig and molecular biology so far - his next book is going to be about the future. Bring it on !

Life in the fast lane *****
Although essentially a biography of Craig Venter, the book is more than this. It is an up-to-date account of the very latest developments in genomic science. The book is also one side of the somewhat accrimonious dispute regarding the ownership of the human genome. Venter, the enfent-terrible of science, gives a detailed and exciting blow by blow account of the race to sequence the human genome. On one side the entrepreneurs and on the other side the government sponsored consortium determined to keep the genome in the public domaine. Although primarily a book for the initiated, this is a fast-moving thriller written by a born story-teller. At times the science is challenging for those without prior knowledge or interest in the field. Throughout however, there is Venter at the sharp-end of science continually pressing forward with new ideas, breaking all the existing rules and inventing new ones as he goes. Throughout the book there are clever references on the side, to various genes from Venters own genome which he has sequenced. Venter gives a description of the relevant gene and the implications of the particular genetic variant in terms of his future health. This is in itself unique. Venter is a man driven, both in the laboratory and behind the wheel of his expensive yachts which he sails with a passion. There is only one thought in Venter's mind- success at any price. This book is a must for anyone wanting a current perspective of genomic science written by one of the leaders in the field.

Life in the fast lane *****

Although essentially a biography of Craig Venter, the book is more than this. It is an up-to-date account of the very latest developments in genomic science. The book is also one side of the somewhat accrimonious dispute regarding the ownership of the human genome. Venter, the enfent-terrible of science, gives a detailed and exciting blow by blow account of the race to sequence the human genome. On one side the entrepreneurs and on the other side the government sponsored consortium determined to keep the genome in the public domaine. Although primarily a book for the initiated, this is a fast-moving thriller written by a born story-teller. At times the science is challenging for those without prior knowledge or interest in the field. Throughout however, there is Venter at the sharp-end of science continually pressing forward with new ideas, breaking all the existing rules and inventing new ones as he goes. Throughout the book there are clever references on the side, to various genes from Venters own genome which he has sequenced. Venter gives a description of the relevant gene and the implications of the particular genetic variant in terms of his future health. This is in itself unique.

Venter is a man driven, both in the laboratory and behind the wheel of his expensive yachts which he sails with a passion. There is only one thought in Venter's mind- success at any price. This book is a must for anyone wanting a current perspective of genomic science written by one of the leaders in the field.