The world was agog when scientists made the astounding announcement that they had successfully sequenced the human genome. Few contributed so directly to this feat as John Sulston. This is his personal account of one of the largest international scientific operations ever undertaken. It was a momentous occasion when British scientist, John Sulston embarked on the greatest scientific endeavor of our times: the sequencing of the Human Genome. In "The Common Thread", Sulston takes us 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. From the beginning, Sulston fervently proclaimed his belief in the free and open exchange of the scientific information that would emerge from the project. Guided by these principles, The Human Genome Project was structured so that all the findings were public, encouraging an unparalleled international collaboration among scientists and researchers. Then, in May 1998, Craig Venter announced that he was quitting the Human Genome Project - with plans to head up a commercial venture launched to bring out the complete sequence three years hence, but marketed in a proprietary database. Venter's intentions, clearly anathema to Sulston and the global network of scientists working on the Project, marked the beginning of a dramatic struggle to keep the human genome in the public domain. More than the story of human health versus corporate wealth, this is an exploration of the very nature of a scientific quest for discovery. Infused with Sulston's own enthusiasm and excitement, the tale unfolds to reveal the scientists who painstakingly turn the key that will unlock the riddle of the human genome. We are privy to the joy and exuberance of success as well as the stark disappointments posed by inevitable failures. It is truly a wild and wonderful ride. "The Common Thread" is at once a compelling history and an impassioned call for ethical responsibility in scientific research. As the boundaries between science and big business increasingly blur, and researchers race to patent medical discoveries, the international community needs to find a common protocol for the protection of the wider human interest. This extraordinary enterprise is a glimpse of our shared human heritage, offering hope for future research and a fresh outlook on our understanding of ourselves.

作者：約翰·蘇爾斯頓（John Sulston）；喬治娜·費裏 （Georgina Ferry） 譯者：楊煥明；劉 斌

約翰·蘇爾斯頓（John Sulston）

英國皇傢學院院士，2002年諾貝爾生理學或醫學奬得主。1963年獲英國劍橋大學學士學位，1966年獲得劍橋大學博士學位。1992年至2000年任英國劍橋桑格中心主任，其間他領導人類基因組計劃國際性團隊的英國分支。1990年發錶綫蟲基因圖譜，對於推進人類基因體跨國性工程，具開創性意義。

喬治娜·費裏 （Georgina Ferry）

科學作傢、英國廣播公司電颱主播，著有《為世界而生：霍奇金傳》。

楊煥明

中國科學院院士，深圳華大基因研究院理事長，香港中文大學榮譽教授，中國城市科學研究會副理事長，深圳市科學技術協會副主席。2007年當選為中國科學院院士，同時為印度國傢科學院、德國國傢科學院、美國科學院、丹麥皇傢科學院等的院士。編著、翻譯多部基因組學、醫學遺傳學領域的學術專著。

劉 斌

中國科學院“百人計劃”研究員，博士生導師。有幸參與瞭人類基因組計劃，2004年，其主持的國際雞基因組多態性研究計劃的研究成果被《自然》雜誌作為封麵文章刊載，成為世界上首批發布的畜禽類基因組序列圖譜。目前他從事的精準基因組學、精準醫學、精準健康方麵的研究將繼續為生命科學的發展發揮積極作用。