Walter Isaacson is known for his bestselling biographies of such brilliant, innovative figures as Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, and Steve Jobs. And now to this list he’s added Jennifer Doudna. She may not yet have the the same name recognition as the others, but as Isaacson makes clear, her Nobel Prize-winning work on gene editing ranks among the most significant biological inventions. By developing the gene-editing technology known as CRISPR, Doudna dramatically expanded the role science can play in reshaping the nature of life itself. Isaacson, as usual, tells this story vividly, comprehensively, and insightfully, recounting not just the path-breaking science involved but also examining the moral quandaries raised by the revolutionary ability to revise our genetic structure.
