I wanted to write this story for several reasons: first, (stem-cell biologist Elizabeth) Blackburn came of age as a scientist when women were a tiny minority of research scientists and faced enormous discrimination, so her story illuminates that history and also underscores the difficulties women continue to face. The field of research she founded is one of the very few scientific fields in which there is gender parity, and it's worth asking why in order to see how changes in other fields of science might produce the same equity. Second, I think biology is beautiful and was captured by the idea of trying to write about a research scientist's intellectual life and creativity, which for me has parallels with artistic creativity. So many books about science lock out the lay reader, and I wanted to write a book that would not be buried in jargon and could describe scientific processes accurately and in an engaging way. Third, Blackburn's dismissal from the bioethics council [by President Bush, for her opposition to his anti-science policies] raises important questions about the relationship between public policy and scientific advice, and the politicization of science threatens the welfare of every person in the country.
What a great project! And since Brady is a past winner of the Flannery O'Connor Award for short fiction, you know she knows how to tell a story. The only bad part? We'll have to wait til spring 2007 for the book.
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