Reaction Paper Series - Paper 3

A Biologist Needs To Learn Chemistry?

In The Double Helix, James D. Watson speaks of his time in graduate school at Indiana University stating, “It was my hope that the gene might be solved without my learning any chemistry.” The Double Helix portrays other scientists having hesitancies to branch out of their desired field of science as well. In subsequent chapters, however, it is clear that Watson’s hope was quickly dashed in his pursuit to better understand and model DNA.

In Watson’s process of becoming the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, he was required to delve into many more sciences disciplines and procedures than he initially wanted. In order to solve such a complex problem he needed to learn important scientific laws and theories from outside his field (especially chemistry) and to study the work of prominent scientists in various fields. His mosaic of knowledge that he acquired combined with that of Crick led to the identity of the fundamental genetic material.

It is interesting that Watson was able to obtain a PhD. while avoiding “any chemistry or physics courses which looked of even medium difficulty.” It seems now that though the resistance to learn other sciences than the desired field persists among students, they cannot graduate without taking al least some courses in other disciplines. This academic requirement likely stems from the fact that most scientific advancements require at least some interdisciplinary science knowledge. During a course it is not always apparent, but in retrospective it is obvious that every field of science has something to offer every scientist in some way. Each field has laws, theories, procedures, or viewpoints that could be applied to other fields to aid in discovery and understanding of the natural world.

At least in Watson’s case, even a renowned scientist was once a griping science student. That’s something that science students can appreciate. When taking a course (often a difficult one) that may seem pointless for future scientific plans, although it is not enjoyable it is necessary. Clearly, the current science curriculum reflects the need for science students to have at least some understanding of many scientific fields, not just the ones they like.