Laura met George in the pages of\u00a0Reader\u2019s Digest<\/em>. In just a couple of column inches, she read an abridged version of his biography and was instantly intrigued. In the 1960s, apparently, egotistical scientist George Price discovered an equation that explained the evolution of altruism, then overnight turned into an extreme altruist, giving away everything up to and including his life.<\/p>\n A theatre director, Laura Farnworth recognised the dramatic potential of the story. It was a tragedy of Greek proportions \u2013 the revelation of his own equation forcing Price to look back on his selfish life and mend his ways, even though choosing to live selflessly would lead inexorably to his death. But as she delved into his life and science over the next five years, Farnworth discovered a lot more than a simple morality tale.<\/p>\n Born in New York in 1922, George Price realised pretty early on that he was destined for greatness. In a class full of smart kids he was one of the smartest, especially with numbers. He was in the chess club, obviously, and his mathematical brain was naturally drawn to science. Determining that there was no rational argument for God\u2019s existence, he became a militant atheist, too.<\/p>\n His PhD came from the University of Chicago for work he did on the Manhattan Project \u2013 having graduated in chemistry, he\u2019d been recruited to find better ways to detect traces of toxic uranium in people\u2019s bodies. Although it had been a top secret project, young Price must have felt he was already part of world events. Obsessed with applying his brilliance to big problems, however, he struggled to find a job that satisfied him. Instead, he pursued his big ideas outside work, and not only scientific ones: he wasn\u2019t afraid of wading into public arguments with famous economists, and even sent his plans for world peace to the US Senate. He didn\u2019t understand why other people didn\u2019t take up his ideas: the solutions seemed so obvious to him.<\/p>\n Domestic problems were a different matter. He\u2019d met his wife, Julia, on the Manhattan Project, but as well as being a scientist she was a devout Roman Catholic. The marriage was hard-pressed to survive Price\u2019s scathing views on religion, and after eight years and two daughters \u2013 Annamarie and Kathleen \u2013 they divorced. Fed up with his job, his life and the distinct lack of recognition in America, Price cut his ties in 1967 and crossed the Atlantic to London, intent on making a great scientific discovery there. He felt he had just a few more years to make his mark, but as it turned out, he needed only one.<\/p>\nReference:<\/h4>\n
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