British Nobel Prize winner visits Beijing

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, December 22, 2003

British Nobel Prize winner visits Beijing

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Sir John Sulston, 2002 British Nobel Prize winner for Physiology and Medical Science, arrived in Beijing last week to launch the Chinese version of his book, "The Common Thread: A Story of Science, Politics, Ethics and the Human Genome."

Georgina Ferry, co-author of the book and a science broadcaster, accompanied him.

The book, translated by Yang Huanming and Liu Bin, both experts in human genome at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and published by the CITIC Publishing House, is a personal account of one of the largest international scientific operations ever undertaken. In the book, Sir John Sulston takes readers behind the scenes for an in-depth look at the controversial story behind the headlines. The accomplishments and the setbacks - along with the politics, personalities, and ethics - that shaped the research are frankly explored by a central figure key to the project.

"It's part of my story, but it's also a story of many colleagues, particularly about the achievements of reading out the data from the human genome and making it public," Sir John said. "What makes the story so interesting is it's a bit like a detective really or a thriller. That's why we call it not only science or politics in ethnics."

Sir John's visit to Beijing was part of Think UK's celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the discovery of DNA. It has been 50 years since James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the double helix of the structure of DNA. Then, in 2001 came the astounding announcement that scientists in Britain had successfully sequenced the human genome. Few contributed so directly to this feat as Sir John Sulston.

While in Beijing, Sir John Sulston also delivered lectures at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, took part in a televised debate on CCTV-10 with John Harris and an online chat on Sina.com, both on the topic of bio-ethics and society.

Former Director of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Centre in Cambridge which made the British contribution to the international Human Genome Project, Sir John Sulston was named one of Britain's most powerful people by the Observer newspaper following the publication of the first draft sequence of the human genome in 2000.

Sir John Sulston's visit, organized by the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy, follows on from the "DNA 50: Watson, Crick and Beyond" exhibition which took place in Beijing in September and October, sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline. DNA 50 is another of a series of Think UK science events this year which have also included Space Week and the Beagle Voyages: From Earth to Mars exhibition and Creative Robotics activities.

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