Did I read a different book? It probably doesn't help that I am a scientist and have known lots of women scientists, who could hardly be put into one archetype as books like this love to do. I have also seen what academia is like both pre and post millenium. I know when DNA and RNA were discovered and how likely it might be for a 60s chemist to pursue abiogenesis with vigor. Beyond the science, not much in this book felt realistic for the time period, and when it did, it was downright depressing and infuriating. The many frank discussions that are had also lead characters, oddly, to better things. I have had the exact opposite experience in life - people usually don't like it when they're confronted with uncomfortable truths; they're not liberated by it. And they don't appreciate hearing them. There was very little in this book I felt I could relate to, and I don't think I laughed out loud once.