Time, Love, Memory: A Great Biologist and His Quest for the Origins of Behavior

by Jonathan Weiner

Book Overview

The story of Nobel Prize-winning discoveries regarding the molecular mechanisms controlling the body's circadian rhythm. How much of our fate is decided before we are born? Which of our characteristics is inscribed in our DNA? Weiner brings us into Benzer's Fly Rooms at the California Institute of Technology, where Benzer, and his asssociates are in the process of finding answers, often astonishing ones, to these questions. Part biography, part thrilling...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679763902
• ISBN13: 9780679763901
• Release Date: April 2000
• Publisher: Vintage
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

The story behind the headlines

There is so much about genes in the news these days, especially how they affect our behavior, our personality, etc. A lot of the headlines are overblown--"popularizations" of the science. If you want to really know the connection between genes and behavior--and the remarkable scientists who are figuring it out, read Time, Love, Memory. It explains it all so simply and clearly that you can actually explain it to others (a feat for me since I did not take any science courses beyond the requirements Freshman year of college!). Plus Mr. Weiner is obviously an incredibly well-read person because he pulls in all kinds of things from literature, poetry, and myth. These references illuminate the science, bringing it home, so to speak, so that you can really draw the parallels between flies and human beings, between science and literature. I loved The Beak of the Finch and I adore this book. Time, Love, Memory just won the National Book Critics Circle Award, I understand. It deserved it, and it deserves to be read--and enjoyed--by all. Bravo! I can't wait for the next one by this talented writer.

Don't believe everything they taught you

... This is a great book by the Pulitzer Prize winning author of Beak of the Finch. It moves right along and was a cliff hanger, it kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see which next of my cherised beliefs was going to dashed in the name of science. ...If you think that human nature is largely a result of nurture and you wish to hang on to this belief for dear life, be very afraid, this is not your book. The book is well written with lots of interviews and original research by the author who already has proven his chops as a science writer. If biology, evolution or genetics is an interest, this is your book.

A must read to learn the insights into molecular biology

We used this book in our into-biology courses at the University of Minnesota, Morris. I have read several other fascinating historical accounts about the eve of molecular biology (Luria's 'A Slot Machine...' and Cairn's classic 'Phage and the Origins of Molecular Biology'. Weiner perhaphs captures this exciting period in the development of Biology with more flare, making it a great read. True, there are a few slow parts of the book, but this is what science is often all about right? The calm before the storm!Anyway, if you are looking at insights into this period of the development of molecular biology and the way it has defined the fields of the life-sciences, look no further than this book.Enjoy!

Quite a find

Seeing genetic-related stories constantly cropping up in the news, my curiosity was sparked and had to be sated. I'm not sure why I chose this book, but I'm certainly glad that I did. Not only does this book provide the reader with more than a surface view of the science, it offers a history of the players (what characters!) and classic anecdotes (flies sometimes learn better if you cut their heads off). Most interestingly though, it provides a glimpse of what may be to come. Cloning? Big deal, what about curing genetic flaws, creating designer children, etc. Its a brave new world, and this book shows you why. The best thing that I can say about this book is that it makes you feel as though you know what is going on behind what seemed to be closed doors. And it is very entertaining.

The best book I've read all year.

This book is a work of art. It has everything! It is not just a great book about an unsung hero in science. It is a suspenseful story (will they or won't they discover the genes for time, love, and memory?), a touching story (Seymour Benzer is a character--a real character that is--you will remember forever), and an important story (all the headlines of a gene for this kind of behavior, a gene for that kind of behavior: This is the real story, the science behind the headlines). You might not think a serious book about science is a good summer book, but it is! Take it to the beach, the mountains, wherever you go--or read it at home. You will not be sorry. Your life will be greatly enriched. I loved The Beak of the Finch (which won the Pulitzer). I love this book even more.