Scientists who have read the book say that somehow, Ms. Goodman has managed to write a tale about life in a science lab that rings so true and includes details so accurate and vivid that they say they are left reeling.

How could an outsider, someone who has not been bathed in the culture and mores of science, get it so right?

"I think it's a unique book because it completely nails this world," said Dr. Jerome Groopman, an oncologist and a professor of medicine at Harvard and the director of a laboratory there.

"It understands the psychology, the dynamics, the processes and pressures that exist in the current culture of science," Dr. Groopman, who reviewed "Intuition" for the online magazine Slate, said in a telephone interview. "I was stunned. I was really stunned."