Power, Sex, Suicide

Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life

By: Nick Lane

Narrated by: Nigel Patterson

Mitochondria are tiny structures located inside our cells that carry out the essential task of producing energy for the cell. They are found in all complex living things, and in that sense, they are fundamental for driving complex life on the planet. But there is much more to them than that.

Mitochondria have their own DNA, with their own small collection of genes, separate from those in the cell nucleus. It is thought that they were once bacteria living independent lives. Their enslavement within the larger cell was a turning point in the evolution of life, enabling the development of complex organisms and, closely related, the origin of two sexes. Unlike the DNA in the nucleus, mitochondrial DNA is passed down exclusively (or almost exclusively) via the female line. That's why it has been used by some researchers to trace human ancestry daughter-to-mother, to "Mitochondrial Eve".

Mitochondria give us important information about our evolutionary history. And that's not all. Mitochondrial genes mutate much faster than those in the nucleus because of the free radicals produced in their energy-generating role. This high mutation rate lies behind our ageing and certain congenital diseases. The latest research suggests that mitochondria play a key role in degenerative diseases such as cancer, through their involvement in precipitating cell suicide. Mitochondria, then, are pivotal in power, sex, and suicide.

In this fascinating and thought-provoking book, Nick Lane brings together the latest research findings in this exciting field to reveal how our growing understanding of mitochondria is shedding light on how complex life evolved, why sex arose (why don't we just bud?), and why we age and die. This understanding is of fundamental importance, both in understanding how we and all other complex life came to be, but also in order to be able to control our own illnesses, and delay our degeneration and death.

©2005 Nick Lane (P)2019 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Full of startling insights into the nature and evolution of life as we know it." (The Economist)

Exactly what i wanted

excellent book on the evolution and inner working of mitochondria. it explores every possible path in it's evolution and detailed exploration on how it works and how it works within other organisms. it is exactly the book i was looking for when researching energy, metabolism and role\importance of mitochondria. I love it.

Profound revelations

I absorbed this book in a series of small doses because the revelations in each chapter are so profound that I needed time to contemplate the ramifications. I highly recommend the book, it has changed my world view and I find myself reframing my thoughts to compare with its conclusions on a near-daily basis. Read this book (or listen to it, the narration is excellent).

Great Title …

You will need at least a basic knowledge of biology to really enjoy this book. It is worth the effort if you would like to acquire a different perspective on life and where human kind perhaps all multicellular earthlings may fit in the scheme of things.

Outstanding

An outstanding scientific explanation of life, in a well orchestrared dance between komplexity and simplicity, f.ex. the leakage of electrons from the respiratory chain and the damping of harmfull free radical via proton overflow as an organic evolutinon, based upon the formation of a sun driven membran and a H+ gradient pump, known from the mineral kingdom.

Wonderful book!

Love learning about mitochondria and the science being aging and dysfunction and the mechanisms that drive them :)