The Science Shelf

Inside Science: Revolution in Biology and Its Impact
Benjamin Lewin
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
500 Sunnyside Boulevard, Woodbury NY 11797-2924
www.cshlpress.com
9781621825012, $29.50, HC, 340pp

https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Science-Revolution-Biology-Impact/dp/16218250=
19

Synopsis: Looking behind widely held beliefs about the myth of the scientif=
ic enterprise, with the publication of "Inside Science: Revolution in Biolo=
gy and Its Impact", Benjamin Lewin provides a rare examination of how scien=
ce really functions.

Drawing on his 25 years of experience as the founding editor of Cell, the w= orlds leading journal in biology, Lewin questions the dogma that scientific=
papers describe how research was actually done, describes the distortions = caused by pressure to publish, and considers the effects of changes in the = way science is communicated as we move ever further into the digital era.

The view that science protects itself by identifying and excluding work tha=
t is not reproducible is rigorously examined, as is the prevalence of fraud=
in science. Furthermore, Lewin argues that the move from research done in = small teams to the much larger scale of big science has the potential to ch= ange the nature of science itself. He asks if science can continue in its p= resent form or if new methods of evaluation will be needed for science to f= unction in the future.

Lewin brings these general principles to life by considering the history of=
the genetics revolution, from the discovery of the double helical structur=
e of DNA to the sequencing of the human genome and the possibilities of gen=
e editing today.

The history of science shows us that each period of progress in science rel= ied on dogmas that often advanced but sometimes retarded progress, and that=
views of reality often changed suddenly and dramatically. One example is t=
he current critical reassessment of epigenetics that is raising the possibi= lity that there may be factors in inheritance extraneous to DNA.

"Inside Science: Revolution in Biology and Its Impact" concludes by asking =
if the reductionist manifesto that has dominated biology for the past half = century can continue to hold, and revisits the much-debated question: What =
is science?

Critique: Fascinating, informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Insi=
de Science: Revolution in Biology and Its Impact" is an extraordinary study=
that will have immense appeal to academia and the scientific community. Ex= ceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Inside Science: Revolut= ion in Biology and Its Impact" is further informatively enhanced for the re= ader with the inclusion of a five page Glossary, thirty pages of Notes & Re= ferences, a two page listing of Illustration Sources, and a sixteen page In= dex. "Inside Science: Revolution in Biology and Its Impact" is especially a=
nd unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college,=
and university library Biology & History of Science collections and supple= mental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Benjamin Lewin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Lewi=
n) obtained his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of C= ambridge, England. He became the first Editor of Nature New Biology in 1971=
, and then worked at the National Cancer Institute from 1972 to 1973. He fo= unded Cell journal in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1974 and remained Editor =
of Cell until 1999. Cell became the top-ranked journal in the life sciences=
.. Dr. Lewin is also the author of the best-selling Genes textbook and a ser= ies of books on wine.

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