Biology, Computing, And The History Of Molecular Sequencing: From Proteins To Dna, 1945-2000 (science, Technology And Medicine In Modern History)

Sequencing is often associated with the Human Genome Project and celebrated achievements concerning the DNA molecule. However, the history of this practice comprises not only academic biology, but also the world of computer-assisted information management. The book uncovers this history, qualifying the hype and expectations around genomics. Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Introduction: An Historical Approach to Sequencing....Pages 1-16 Front Matter....Pages 17-19 The Sequence of Insulin and the Configuration of a New Biochemical Form of Work (1943–1962)....Pages 21-38 From Chemical Degradation to Biological Replication (1962–1977)....Pages 39-64 Front Matter....Pages 65-69 Sequencing Software and the Shift in the Practice of Computation....Pages 71-90 Sequence Databases and the Emergence of ‘Information Engineers’....Pages 91-114 Front Matter....Pages 115-118 A New Approach to Sequencing at Caltech....Pages 119-143 The Commercialisation of the DNA Sequencer....Pages 144-168 Conclusions: A Long History of Practices....Pages 169-177 Back Matter....Pages 178-242 When we talk about DNA sequencing, it is the relatively recent Human Genome Project and the so-called 'genomics revolution' which immediately come to mind. However, sequencing has a longer and more complex history which penetrates key issues of post-World War II biomedicine, such as the interplay of protein chemistry and molecular biology, and the growing interaction between biology and computing. In this, the first academic history of sequencing, Miguel García-Sancho follows the development of this form of molecular analysis to offer a new insight into the development of biomedicine during th