This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt. You may receive a partial or no refund on used, damaged or materially different returns.

Read full return policy

Payment

Secure transaction

Payment

Secure transaction

We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more

Details

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery Thursday, April 25 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 3 hrs

Select delivery location

Used: Good | Details

Sold by Found Treasurer

Fulfilled by Amazon

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Other sellers on Amazon

New & Used (23) from $3.91 + $3.98 shipping

Follow the author

Walter Isaacson

Follow

The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race Audio CD – Unabridged, March 9, 2021

by Walter Isaacson (Author, Epilogue, Introduction), Kathe Mazur (Reader)

4.7 13,003 ratings

Editors' pick Best History

See all formats and editions

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$21.64","priceAmount":21.64,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"21","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"64","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"tZ26rcxRBMnuoF59gpYVC89KoMDHdzP4dgXvwml%2BOY1NlK91rQMt9fdWklz28Hwbryy1UzRzzozTH1Tn99K85EqOC4AUchO2aezYL1rHAGqmwg%2BMo7%2FuVTFFoyKMCL5zBtCcSXI3zYmRE%2Fd%2Fwdp8etIGgkcW90SzM7ZIM6zWQfUfg9dCeAURZvaDCPDHH0UJ","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$20.19","priceAmount":20.19,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"20","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"19","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"tZ26rcxRBMnuoF59gpYVC89KoMDHdzP4ZuF5op1RoTBParGaVf3%2FZ1N3UooFxXW8nThZZMVRON1s1iIhrVaeuL5j8acVxRjf6malpY3JSqI5P1jsCmfQIrOhJ%2FgzUY5e%2FpgWi%2FLhpLp5cWwRZIeyBXgHCD9FeCBnI3U6KRI%2FVyHY9xooKbWvzA%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

A 2022 Audie Award Finalist

A Best Book of 2021 by Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Time, and The Washington Post

The bestselling author of Leonardo da Vinci and Steve Jobs returns with a “compelling” (The Washington Post) account of how Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues launched a revolution that will allow us to cure diseases, fend off viruses, and have healthier babies.

When Jennifer Doudna was in sixth grade, she came home one day to find that her dad had left a paperback titled The Double Helix on her bed. She put it aside, thinking it was one of those detective tales she loved. When she read it on a rainy Saturday, she discovered she was right, in a way. As she sped through the pages, she became enthralled by the intense drama behind the competition to discover the code of life. Even though her high school counselor told her girls didn’t become scientists, she decided she would.

Driven by a passion to understand how nature works and to turn discoveries into inventions, she would help to make what the book’s author, James Watson, told her was the most important biological advance since his codiscovery of the structure of DNA. She and her collaborators turned a curiosity of nature into an invention that will transform the human race: an easy-to-use tool that can edit DNA. Known as CRISPR, it opened a brave new world of medical miracles and moral questions.

The development of CRISPR and the race to create vaccines for coronavirus will hasten our transition to the next great innovation revolution. The past half-century has been a digital age, based on the microchip, computer, and internet. Now we are entering a life-science revolution. Children who study digital coding will be joined by those who study genetic code.

Should we use our new evolution-hacking powers to make us less susceptible to viruses? What a wonderful boon that would be! And what about preventing depression? Hmmm…Should we allow parents, if they can afford it, to enhance the height or muscles or IQ of their kids?

After helping to discover CRISPR, Doudna became a leader in wrestling with these moral issues and, with her collaborator Emmanuelle Charpentier, won the Nobel Prize in 2020. Her story is an “enthralling detective story” (Oprah Daily) that involves the most profound wonders of nature, from the origins of life to the future of our species.

Language

English
Publisher

Simon & Schuster Audio
Publication date

March 9, 2021
Dimensions

5 x 1.4 x 5.88 inches
ISBN-10

1797117041
ISBN-13

978-1797117041
See all details

Walter Isaacson
5,642
Paperback
150 offers from $2.49
Walter Isaacson
10,401
Paperback
120 offers from $2.70
Walter Isaacson
5,652
Paperback
251 offers from $2.15
Walter Isaacson
814
Paperback
65 offers from $8.63
Walter Isaacson
352
Paperback
41 offers from $43.97
Walter Isaacson
4,974
Paperback
256 offers from $2.20

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Kathe Mazur skillfully narrates this clear and well-researched biography of Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna, who, along with colleagues, advanced biochemistry by employing CRISPR technology to improve and simplify genetic engineering—ultimately leading to a safe, effective COVID vaccine. Moving beyond Doudna's own story, this audiobook also discusses the role of women in science, the intersection of research and business, competitiveness (and cooperation) in academia, and the implications of altering human genes. Mazur's personable delivery and measured pace help listeners access the science and connect to Doudna as a woman and a researcher. Her performance highlights the excitement of new discoveries, the difficulties of forging new paths, the wide-ranging ethical concerns of emerging technologies, and the hope for humanity's future. Author Walter Isaacson reads the epilogue." ― AudioFile Magazine

About the Author

Walter Isaacson is the bestselling author of biographies of Jennifer Doudna, Leonardo da Vinci, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, and Albert Einstein. He is a professor of history at Tulane and was CEO of the Aspen Institute, chair of CNN, and editor of Time. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2023. Visit him at Isaacson.Tulane.edu.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster Audio; Unabridged edition (March 9, 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1797117041
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1797117041
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.1 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 1.4 x 5.88 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,386,554 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,027 in Genetics (Books)
- #2,782 in Scientist Biographies
- #5,796 in Books on CD

Customer Reviews:
4.7 13,003 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Walter Isaacson

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Walter Isaacson is writing a biography of Elon Musk. He is the author of The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race; Leonardo da Vinci; Steve Jobs; Einstein: His Life and Universe; Benjamin Franklin: An American Life; The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution; and Kissinger: A Biography. He is also the coauthor of The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made. He is a Professor of History at Tulane, has been CEO of the Aspen Institute, chairman of CNN, and editor of Time magazine.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5

13,003 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Reviews with images

See all photos

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Jes Mortensen

should be read by all physicians and medical studnts

Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2024

Verified Purchase

Absolutely one of the best books I have read about our genes. It is real a riddle that all living material can be written by 4 by nuclei acids adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine found in DNA and in RNA uracil.
First the reader is told about the DNA helix and the fantastic discover thar crispr is the immune system of the bacteria to fight virus. We really are lead in till the future of what this tool can do for the human species. The ethical discussion is very important for all physicians. It is very well written almost as a criminal novel.
It gave my many thoughts being a physician for 50 years

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Dr. Jane Martin

Interesting, informative and very readable.

Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2024

Verified Purchase

Easy to understand some complex science. Short chapter format was to my liking. Grand finale was two women awarded the Nobel Prize, about time!

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Rachel Gollub

Enlightening

Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2024

Verified Purchase

I learned a lot about the process of gene editing, and its history. This is a sophisticated look at the politics and practices, by a writer who is well-known enough to have access to some major events. Well worth reading!

Helpful

Jos Kabouw

Fascinating evolution of the biotechnology

Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2024

Verified Purchase

Fascinating evolution of the biotechnology and with it Jennifer's life

How she had been impacted by others and then her impact on others to make a better world.... Maybe .... evolution and the future will write a new story

Walter plays THE essential role in the narrative, the story telling.

He stages Doudna and Carpentier in a way the you can hear black eye peas a ... Opera.

Try and figure this last one out.. jajajaja

Helpful

Gregdela

a very human story of a remarkable person

Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2024

Verified Purchase

I appreciated this telling of Dr. Doudna’s life (so far) because it set in context the scientific achievements of a scientific pioneer, and leaves you with awe regarding the biological processes involved, while telling the story in understandable ways.

One cannot understand the power of the discoveries that Dr. Doudna made, supervised, and collaborated on without having at least a basic understanding of the science, challenges and personalities involved in the discoveries. But not everyone can write such a book.

This is a well written book that was well worth the hours spent in engaging with the material, as well as reading the story.

I would note that the book is at least somewhat technical, given that the subject is highly technical, so keep that in mind as you consider the read. Part of the skill of the author was to be able to tell the story, including the detail, in a way that remained readable all the way through.

Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2021

Verified Purchase

There are several books on CRISPR and genetic engineering published in 2020 and 2021. It is almost as if the writers were racing against each other the way the scientists from Berkeley (Doudna & Co) and Zhang (MIT/Harvard) raced against each other, first in determining how to use CRISPR to edit the human gene, and later, in the race to file the patent for the procedure.

This book is 481 pages long but is an easy and exhilarating book written by an experienced hand. Issacson, however, openly declares that he tells the story primarily from Jennifer Doudna’s point of view. He has done his best to be an impartial reporter and recorder of the story, yet it is obvious, and perhaps unavoidable, that some characters are cast in poorer light against Doudna, who Issacson shines the light of sainthood upon.

Before the race to discover how CRISPR might be used on human genes, they first have to discover CRISPR – the acronym for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats. As it appears, scientific discoveries are made a step at a time, almost always by different scientists. The Japanese Yoshizumi Ishino was the first to discover the repeat structures in a bacteria. It was Francisco Mojica who realised what these do, and it was he who came up with the name CRSPR. Then came Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier.

In brief, they discovered how bacteria defend themselves against their old enemy, the virus. The bacteria cut up some of the DNA from the virus and then implant them on themselves so that they can identify the invading virus when they attacked again.

The story continues to the crucial race to discover how exactly the bacteria cut up the virus DNA. That was main work of Doudna and Charpentier. They discovered the process through the RNA and how the TRACR RNA helps identity then guide the bacteria’s protein enzyme to the target. All that is exciting, yet the book’s attraction lies in many other aspects.

We see how fame and money (the scientists get millions of dollars from prizes) change or perhaps reveal the dark side of even the seemingly nicest of people. We see how quiet, unassuming, dedicated scientists turn to ego-sensitive, prize-grabbing people. We may also question the way the patent system works. Reading between the lines of this book (remember, Isaacsson is a little beholden to Doudna for the backbone of his story) we might get a slightly different take.

Ethical issues involve not only the big question as to whether we should allow genetic editing in humans, but also the subsidiary question, of when we are ready for it. Thus enters the Chinese scientist He Jiankui who used CRISPR to edit the genes of a pair of twins so that they are genetically resistant to the HIV virus. Yet He Jiankui created an uproar in the West, and the worldwide outrage led to him being found guilty of conducting experiments without official approval and was sentenced to three years jail. He rushed ahead before the all-clear signal.

But now, with the COVID pandemic, scientists are open to using gene editing as an answer. Furthermore, even Doudna is working on other diseases that can be cured. They include the sickle cell disease, Alzheimer’s, and also cancer. There are also problems that the present system has not yet addressed – gene-editing as a medical magic wand seems destined to be available only for the rich.

We also learn from this book that the US military, DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) was so very much interested in gene technology in the last six years or so that it invested US$65m into research involving CRISPR and genetic engineering specifically for military purposes. Doudna is in one of the seven teams involved with DARPA funded research.

The moral and ethical issues are enough to keep one thinking long after the last page is turned. One big question is how different are the modern-day eugenics different from the eugenics of the early 20th century?

16 people found this helpful

Helpful

Marcia M. Hill

wonderful book

Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2024

Verified Purchase

I loved the way he always combines the science with the personal. I loved his book on on Einstein and Steve Jobs, equally wonderful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English

Rubens

Super livro!!

Reviewed in Brazil on April 4, 2023

Verified Purchase

Um dos melhores livros biográficos que li nos últimos anos!

Translate review to English

Jacques G.

Gives a laymen's view of what CRISPR is, the technology that preceded it and how it works

Reviewed in Canada on April 28, 2022

Verified Purchase

I purchased the Kindle version of this book.

This book gives a laymen's view of what CRISPR is, how it was discovered, the technology that preceded it and how it works. The ethical aspects of the use of the technology is of great interest.

Some of my thoughts on the applications: The African Cheetah experienced a genetic bottle neck when at some time in the distant past, an event wiped out most of them leaving only a few individuals to repopulate the species. The Persian Cheetah left Africa at a time which preceded this event and they do not have this genetic bottleneck. It should be possible to re-introduce genetic diversity to the African Cheetah with the Persian Cheetah. If the two species cannot naturally mate, then this technology could help the process.

Similarly, the American Buffalo was nearly wiped out in the 19th century. The former sites of Buffalo jumps could contain bones and teeth which could be used to reintroduce genetic diversification to the remaining population to increase its resistance to disease. In the melting permafrost in North America there are hunting grounds that are tens of thousands of years old which have frozen feces from Buffalo, Reindeer and other species, some extinct, some not which could be collected in order to re-introduce genetic diversification when needed or bring back extinct species. There is a limited time window to gather this material of species plants and animals before the permafrost of the world thaws.

Natural selection is credited for which genes get passed on but if your ancestor lived in Pompei or near Krakatoa, then the only reason his genes were passed on, is because he was 13+ of miles away out of town when the volcano erupted. Similarly, mass extinction events like the comet(s) at the end of the younger dryas which flash melted glaciers on top of mountains (likely responsible for flood myths throughout the world) or meteor strikes in the ocean that caused tsunamis or massive mudslides can rapidly eliminate people's genes from the gene pool regardless of their perceived quality.

Sometimes, ancestral DNA is found from remains in glaciers, from the earth of caves, from ancient bones, teeth or corpses recuperated from bogs. These could contain the key to eliminating certain genetic diseases or resistance from the infection from ancient bacteria or viruses which are yet to emerge from the melting permafrost. Mapping and cataloging ancient DNA found in this way could be key in future health care.

This book at some point mentions that Darwin had commented that humans are incapable of manufacturing Vitamin C like many species are. The book "Syndrome X" by Challem, Berkson and Smith said that Humans used to be able to manufacture Vitamin C with their liver from the glucose in their blood but the gene responsible for this had become defective about 6 million years ago. If a working version of that gene from ancestral DNA or from a different species could be re-introduced. Then type II diabetics could produce Vitamin C from the excess glucose in their blood. Vitamin C is found in fruits and vegetable and is safe in large quantities. A person could get liver cells implanted which have the working version of that gene to help treat their diabetes by converting excess glucose to Vitamin C. This would be similar to the gene therapy that was developed for Hunter's syndrome.

There is also an infantile type of insulin whose production gets turned off as human age and start to produce an adult form of insulin. Perhaps someone unable to produce their own adult insulin could have the infantile version of the insulin turned back on. I've read that certain types tumors are capable of producing insulin, perhaps this kind of cells could be used to create an artificial pancreas without the risk of turning into cancer cells for type I diabetics eliminating the need for costly unending injections.

There are a lot of potential applications for this technology, and I hope that in the future they will benefit the health and lower the cost of health care.

One person found this helpful

ADRIAN

GREAT & Dangerous new field

Reviewed in Mexico on August 9, 2021

Verified Purchase

Very encouraging that we have come this far but the questions discussed on it’s usage specially diminishing DIVERSITY I have no doubt that it will UNDERMINE humankind natural defense system and diminish all of us in so many ways ( creativity & resilience to begin with ) . As a person and as a scientist I LOVE JENNIFER

One person found this helpful

Istafa

Origin of New Species…?

Reviewed in India on March 1, 2024

Verified Purchase

This book delves into the world of Gene Editing primarily focused on CRISPR. Written in the typical Walter-Style, it can be easily understood by laymen without getting into the intricacies.
Writing is simple, flow is very natural and it is about so close in the past that it feels exciting to know it all happened all around us.

mehdifazal

A must read for all humanity

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 25, 2023

Verified Purchase

The progress man can make for humankind is exponential henceforth.

A lot of work needs to be done and it means that unemployment can be eradicated if the potential from this science is seized.

See more reviews

Image Unavailable

Follow the author