Busch, Akiko. The Incidental Steward: Reflections on Citizen Science. Yale University Press, 2014. 256 pages. Paperback $US16.00 One evening as she was preparing dinner, Jennifer Doudna’s son noticed her laughing out loud. The biochemist had been thinking about how bacteria have the ability to protect themselves by finding and clipping a virus’ DNA—CRISPR—a clever mechanism which she realized could be re-purposed. It shortly after transformed the way gene editing is done and won her the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences. Delight in discovery is a universal experience treasured and shared by those who partake in science, extending beyond those who practice it as a profession.
The book moves episodically through eleven research projects. Through each project, Busch shows readers what is at stake by recounting her research efforts, which include, but are not limited to, mapping ecologically important but hard-to-find vernal pools, reporting sightings of coyotes who encroach urban areas, ...
