These are a few of my favorite reads in Science - 10 recommendations

These Are a Few of My Favourite Reads in Science — 10 Recommendations

By Anu Acharya, CEO, MapmyGenome — World Science Day

It is World Science Day and I thought I could give you a list of books that may intrigue your mind. Books have a way of tickling and expanding our curiosity — they help us think better and offer many different perspectives. Here are 10 recommended science books, with a slight bias towards genomics, plus a couple from physics. They are in no particular order since good books can be read in any order.

1. The Code Breaker — Walter Isaacson (2021)

This is a book about two amazing women — Dr. Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpe ntier, Nobel Laureates 2020. It goes into the details of CRISPR and, in classic Isaacson style, describes the science simply and accessibly. I loved the part where books like The Double Helix by James Watson inspired Doudna to become a scientist. The line from Dr. Charpentier that hit home: “At the end of the day, the discoveries are what endure. We are just passing on this planet for a short time. We do our job, and then we leave and others pick up the work.”

2. The Gene — Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee (2016)

I read pretty much everything Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee writes as his language is rather poetic. The Gene is a deep dive into the history of the gene, stories about eugenics, patients, and scientists. What was fascinating was that he provokes those of us who think genes are our destiny. As we often tell our customers: genes are only the constants in the equation of life. The variables are in your control.

3. The Selfish Gene — Richard Dawkins (1976)

A classic that introduced the concept of the gene as the fundamental unit of natural selection. Dawkins’ gene’s-eye view of evolution remains one of the most influential ideas in modern biology.

4. The Emperor of All Maladies — Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee (2010)

A biography of cancer — its history, its science, and the extraordinary human stories of patients and researchers. A Pulitzer Prize winner and essential reading for anyone interested in oncology and genomics.

5. A Brief History of Time — Stephen Hawking (1988)

From the Big Bang to black holes, Hawking makes the most complex ideas in physics accessible to the general reader. A reminder that curiosity about the universe is the foundation of all science.

6. The Double Helix — James Watson (1968)

The personal account of the discovery of the structure of DNA — one of the most important scientific discoveries of the 20th century. Controversial, candid, and compulsively readable.

7. Genome — Matt Ridley (1999)

A tour of the human genome, one chromosome at a time. Ridley uses each chromosome as a window into a different aspect of human biology, evolution, and medicine.

8. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks — Rebecca Skloot (2010)

The story of HeLa cells — the first human cells to be successfully grown in a lab — and the woman behind them. A powerful exploration of race, ethics, and the intersection of science and humanity.

9. Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! — Richard Feynman (1985)

Adventures of a curious character — Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman’s irreverent, funny, and deeply insightful memoir. A reminder that the best scientists are driven by pure curiosity and joy.

10. The Language of God — Francis Collins (2006)

The former director of the Human Genome Project reflects on the intersection of science and faith, and the extraordinary journey of mapping the human genome. Essential reading for anyone interested in the history of genomics.