I like books on the history of science but usually I read physics books. This made a nice change.

I didn’t realise the development of CRISPR was so acrimonious, I hope this book has set the story straight.

I found the sections about David Watson to be a bit excessive and feeling them bolted on, being of interest to the scientific community but not enough content for a book of its own. My biggest qualm is that Watson obviously has strongly held beliefs but the evidence for the foundation of his beliefs was not rigorously stated and overturned only dismissed as untenable for someone to hold them. Is he a crusty old racist? Probably. Or is he ignorant of contradictory evidence or newer science?

Given that CRISPR has opened a new frontier in both the medical and moral realms the book covers the related dilemmas in both.