A major new biography of Francis Crick, co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, pioneering neuroscientist, and twentieth-century genius 'Vivid and authoritative... an] intriguing portrait of a gifted, self-absorbed, exuberant, and intuitive man.' --The New York Times Named a Best Book of the Year by Economist - Guardian What are the moments that make a life? In Francis Crick's, the decisive moment came in 1951, when he first met James Watson. Their ensuing discovery of the structure of DNA made Crick world-famous. But neither that chance meeting nor that discovery made Crick who he was. As Matthew Cobb shows in Crick, it is another chance encounter, with a line from the writing of Beat poet Michael McClure, that reveals Crick's character: 'THIS IS THE POWERFUL KNOWLEDGE,' it shouted. Crick, having read it, would keep it with him for the rest of his life, a token of his desire to solve the riddles of existence. John Keats once accused scientists of merely wanting to 'unweave a rainbow,'