The first half of 20th-century science belonged to physics, with the general theory of relativity, quantum mechanics, and nuclear fission. The second half would belong to biology. In the post-war world, the secret of the gene-how hereditary characteristics pass from one generation to another-was the hottest topic in science. This is the powerful story of a single-minded, forthright young woman who was passionate about her science but was airbrushed out of the greatest scientific discovery of the 20th century. This discovery would not have been made without her work.

Brenda Maddox is an award-winning biographer. Her book on the life of DNA scientist, Rosalind Franklin, won the English-Speaking Union's Marsh Prize for Biography and the Los Angeles Times Science Book Award.