Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life
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- Author：Nick Lane
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Summary
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 show 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。
Oxford Landmark Science books are 'must-read' classics of modern science writing which have crystallized big ideas， and shaped the way we think。
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 show 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。
Oxford Landmark Science books are 'must-read' classics of modern science writing which have crystallized big ideas， and shaped the way we think。
Reviews
E。
，
3，5*Usually reading science books makes me feel smart。 This one made me feel like I need to brush up on my High School Biology and then read it two more times to， like， get it。Or maybe I should have just read the physical version， they tend to have some cool infographics。 Anyway， assuming you have a rather good understanding of Biology and the patience to really pay attention， it was an interesting read。
Kavya
，
"All of this boils down to the tension between contingency and convergence。 To what extent is evolution ruled by the chance of contingency？ For Gould all is contingent; for Conway Morris， the question is， would an intelligent biped still have four fingers and a thumb？""So the paradox is this: if the eukaryotic cell was supposedly born of a symbiosis between an oxygen-hating methanogen and an oxygen-loving bacterium， how could the methanogen possibly benefit from having alpha-proteobacteria insid "All of this boils down to the tension between contingency and convergence。 To what extent is evolution ruled by the chance of contingency？ For Gould all is contingent; for Conway Morris， the question is， would an intelligent biped still have four fingers and a thumb？""So the paradox is this: if the eukaryotic cell was supposedly born of a symbiosis between an oxygen-hating methanogen and an oxygen-loving bacterium， how could the methanogen possibly benefit from having alpha-proteobacteria inside it？ For that matter， how did the alpha-proteobacteria benefit from being inside？ Indeed， of the host was incapable of phagocytosis—and methanogens are certainly not able to change shape and eat other cells—how on earth did it get inside？""This voltage [150 millivolts] might not sound like a lot （it's only about a tenth of that available from a torch battery） but we need to think of it in molecular terms。 The membrane is barely 5 nm thick， so the voltage experienced from one side to the other is in the order of 30 million volts per meter—a similar voltage to a bolt of lighting， and a thousand times the capacity of normal household wiring。""The answer is interesting， for both the archaea and bacteria do ferment， but do so by using different enzymes to catalyze the steps。 Several of them are completely unrelated。 Presumably， if the archaea and bacteria do not share the same enzymes for fermentation， then the classical fermentation pathway must have evolved later on， independently， in the two domains。""The mitochondria， I shall argue， could only be derived by endosymbiosis—a union of two genomes in the same cell， or a giant leap across genetic space—and without mitochondria， the complex eukaryotic cell simply could not evolve。 This viewpoint stems from the idea that the eukaryotic cell itself was forged in the merger that gave rise to mitochondria， and that the possession of mitochondria is， or was in the past， a sine qua non of the eukaryotic condition。""These studies show that bacteria can lose superfluous genes in a matter of hours or days。 Such fast gene loss means that bacteria species tend to retain the smallest number of genes compatible with viability at any one moment。""[。。。] there are potentially destructive consequences of competition between different genomes within the same cell—natural selection can pit mitochondria against each other， or against the host cell， with no consideration of the long-term cost， merely the short-term gain for the individual genes。"（view spoiler）["Even if it is true that greater size is favoured by a lower cost of living， is there really a connection between size and complexity？ Complexity is not an easy term to define， and in attempting to do so we are inevitably biased toward ourselves: we tend to think of complex beings in terms of their intellect， behaviour， emotions， language， and so on， rather than， for example， a complex life cycle， as in an insect with its drastic morphological transitions， from caterpillar to butterfly。""We are even inclined to see patterns in the fossil record implying an evolutionary trend toward greater size （and presumably complexity）， known as Cope's Rule。 While accepted with little question for over a century， several systematic studies in the 1990s suggested that the trend is nought but an illusion: different species are equally likely to become smaller as they are larger。 We are so mesmerized by our fellow large creatures that we easily overlook the smaller ones。""But the question remains: how did sex turn into death？ We know that the mitochondria brought most of the death machinery with them， and they certainly use it to kill their hosts by apoptosis today。 If we accept that the original purpose of the death machinery was sex， not death， what lead to such a portentous change in purpose？ When did the drive for sex become punishable by death， and why？""Interestingly， 1 in 500 female Olympic athletes carry a Y chromosome， substantially more than the general population， implying there might be some kind of physical advantage， albeit not hormonal。 A relatively high proportion of models and actresses also carry a single Y chromosome。""At least 10 percent， and perhaps 20 percent of humans， are heteroplasmic。 Much of the mixture appears to come from new mutations， rather than paternal seepage。""It [cytochrome c] puts a quick end to cells with inefficient respiration， due to a mismatch between the nuclear and mitochondrial genes。 [。。。] In other words， control of respiration is more stringent than control of DNA transcription and translation into new proteins。""Exercise speeds up the rate of electron flow， which in turn lowers the reduction state of complex I—the electrons are quicker to leave it again， and this makes the complex less reactive。 That explains why regular activity doesn't necessarily increase the speed of free radical leakage and might actually lower it in trained athletes。"（hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Đạt Tiêu
，
A little heavy on academics but overall a very interesting book。Very surprising about the role played by mitochondria in cells。 It makes the evolution of eukaryotes possible， the power house for cells to become bigger and release the signal to trigger apoptosis of cell death
Marta
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This is extremely dense and equally fascinating。 It explains in detail the structure of the cell， the mechanisms of energy generation， and the origins of complex life itself。 Even after the second listen， I find a ton that I missed the first time so I will spend some time with my paper copy。。。 after I take a break。Nick Lane argues that the moment when michrochondia entered its host cell was the origin of multicell organisms， and as such， ourselves。 Mitochondria used to be bacteria， but it had be This is extremely dense and equally fascinating。 It explains in detail the structure of the cell， the mechanisms of energy generation， and the origins of complex life itself。 Even after the second listen， I find a ton that I missed the first time so I will spend some time with my paper copy。。。 after I take a break。Nick Lane argues that the moment when michrochondia entered its host cell was the origin of multicell organisms， and as such， ourselves。 Mitochondria used to be bacteria， but it had become a semi-autonomous organism within the eukaryotic （having a nucleus） cell。 Mitochondria are responsible for energy generation （power）， why we have two sexes （sex）， and cell destruction （suicide） - thus the bombastic title。 But Lane not only vexes about mitrochondia， but uses it to travel down the prehistoric lane （hah， I just realized this pun） to conduct a fascinating investigation into the origins of life not just on Earth， but in other parts of the universe。 Bacteria has evolved very early in the formation of Earth， and for two billion years， they happily ruled the roost as one-cell organisms， displaying no signs of wanting to become something more。 “The dream of the cell is two become two cells”， quotes Lane。 But about 1。5-2 million years ago， the eukaryotic cell happened， and with its better energy production， it could become more complex， and combine into multicell organisms - setting off the path to the evolution of intelligence - us。Lane argues that while the formation of bacteria follows from the physics of premordial Earth， and thus could happen anywhere in the universe with similar conditions， the formation of the eukaryotic cell was a one-time fluke， a happy accident。 All the evidence points to a common ancestor of all eukaryotic cells。 Thus while the universe may be teeming with life in the form of single-cell organisms， complex multicell， and by extension， intelligent life may be a unique， or extremely rare， phenomenon。 “We might not be alone， but we sure are lonely。”Lane devotes large sections to energy generation and its related areas such as metabolic speed， size and life span。 He explores the implications of free radicals and antioxidants， and generally， the role of mithrocondia in aging。 I found the investigation on why birds live longer and healthier lives than what their metabolic rate would dictate fascinating。 There is also a large section on why sex evolved， why we have two sexes instead of one or many - why would natural selection limit us to only 50% of mates in order to reproduce？ It is the least efficient of all possibilities - until we look at how mitrochondia is only passed down on the female line， which is universal in all sexual reproduction and appears to be the only sure way of determining the sex of an organism。 Looking at the Y chromosome only produces way too many exceptions， there are many fish that change sexes as they find convenient， not to mention the fungi with 28000 sexes。。。 The science of cellular biology has been greatly sped up by gene sequencing。 All of a sudden long proposed， competing theories could be tested， and many eliminated。 New findings created new theories and raised new questions。 Lane elaborates on the different theories， often conducting “what if” scenarios， cites experiments proving or disproving theories， in a picture that resembles clues in a mystery novel - he even quotes Sherlock Holmes: “When you have eliminated the impossible， what remains， however improbable， is the truth”。The book contains some extremely dense biochemistry and cellular biology - but explained in a clear， concise way that it can be followed by such an untrained person as I。 While it is difficult work， it is somehow still easily readable， enjoyable and fascinating。 The concepts and history I have learned kept me spell-bound and I want to learn more。 I have listened - which made it easy to go through once - but I missed so much detail that I ordered the paper copy and plan to study it。 I have never was very interested in cellular biology， but I feel rather excited about it now。 It is like a fascinating mystery story with ever changing theories and new clues。 。。。more
Monda Gao
，
good story with clear logic
Irena
，
"Power， Sex， Suicide" -- quite a lurid title， worthy of pulp fiction。 Well， then there is the second line "Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life"。 It's a book written by a biologist about everything the modern science knows about mitochondria and its important role in life， death， and everything in between。 And alternative title could be "All the Roads Lead to Mitohondria"。It's not an easy-peasy popular biology book for laymen。 Nick Lane is a scientist， not a journalist。 He doesn't write to enter "Power， Sex， Suicide" -- quite a lurid title， worthy of pulp fiction。 Well， then there is the second line "Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life"。 It's a book written by a biologist about everything the modern science knows about mitochondria and its important role in life， death， and everything in between。 And alternative title could be "All the Roads Lead to Mitohondria"。It's not an easy-peasy popular biology book for laymen。 Nick Lane is a scientist， not a journalist。 He doesn't write to entertain。 It's a rather serious and ponderous book about biology， for laymen and scientists alike。 Basic concepts are explained， but nothing is dumbed down， although lots of the technicalities are purposefully left beyond the scope of this book。I listened to an audio version， and as my knowledge of biology is extremely shallow （to put it mildly）， I found myself frequently pressing the replay button。 Still， some of it went over my head， and a lot was promptly forgotten。 But that's my fault， not the author's。 I enjoyed Nick Lane's dry wit and his passionate attitude to all things mitochondria （and biology in general， of course）。 My most important and interesting takeaway from this book is the notion of how complex the fabric of life is， how our scientific knowledge about it is constantly evolving， and how what we are used to read about it in mass media is often based on oversimplification。 。。。more
Esmira Mammadova
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Fabulous book 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻I recommend it for everybody
Will Ford
，
I was told that this book would explain， better than any other book on the topic: how life first started， how we became multi-cellular creatures， why we age and why we die。Without first taking an introductory biology course， much of this went straight over my head。 I think it's worth a revisit once I have a basic understanding of biology， cells， DNR & RNA， etc。 I was told that this book would explain， better than any other book on the topic: how life first started， how we became multi-cellular creatures， why we age and why we die。Without first taking an introductory biology course， much of this went straight over my head。 I think it's worth a revisit once I have a basic understanding of biology， cells， DNR & RNA， etc。 。。。more
Robert Banovský
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From origin of complex life to why we age and die， mitochondria explain it all。 :-）
Stenz
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Some really good stuff in here。A bit hard to follow at times but worth persisting to get the overall story if not all the detail。
Steve
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Really interesting read， I knew very little about mitochondria before picking this book up but found the writing style engaging and enlightening。 It was a bit if a slogg in places but worth the overall effort。
Hjalti Thorsteinsson
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Fantastic book。 well written。 always interesting and you were eager to read more。 like a thrilling dedective story。 language kept easy and explaining technical words。 really enjoyed the book。
Neil
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Promising: https://blog。cerebralab。com/Book_revi。。。 Promising: https://blog。cerebralab。com/Book_revi。。。 。。。more
Derek Henderson
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Nick Lane delves deep into the science of mitochondria。 Way too deep for this average reader。 Rather dry presentation - moments of liveliness come when he quotes JBS Haldane， one writer who certainly knew how to enthral his audience。 Lane suffers mightily by comparison。。。
Robert
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This is the 4th book of Nick Lane's I've read and it happens to be the second one he wrote。 It was a good thing I'd read the other one's first， as I am sure it helped me understand this one better。As a non-biologist， here are some things that I learned （most of which are probably very well known to biologists）（1） "Pumping protons across a cell membrane" is a fundamental mechanism in life and is how many organism store energy。（2） Mitochondria work by transporting electrons through respiratory cha This is the 4th book of Nick Lane's I've read and it happens to be the second one he wrote。 It was a good thing I'd read the other one's first， as I am sure it helped me understand this one better。As a non-biologist， here are some things that I learned （most of which are probably very well known to biologists）（1） "Pumping protons across a cell membrane" is a fundamental mechanism in life and is how many organism store energy。（2） Mitochondria work by transporting electrons through respiratory chains， kind of like assembly lines， but this operation is delicate and dangerous because if the electrons get loose they can become free radicals and cause havoc。（3） Mitochondria might be the main reason why multicellular life even exists。 Perhaps the reason why we can't detect intelligent life outside Earth is that the evolution of mitochondria is a very improbable event。 All the other life in our galaxy may be bacteria。（4） Mitochondria control the mechanism for cell suicide （Apoptosis）， which is quite complicated and very important。（5） The reason we only inherit out mother's mitochondria may be because genetically distinct mitochondria can't coexist in one cell。（6） The leaking of free radicals from mitochondria may be the ultimate cause of aging in all animals。（7） Birds seem to have better mitochondria than mammals which may be why they don't age as fast。（8） The cooperation between mitochondrial DNA and Nuclear DNA has to be extremely precise， which may be another cause of genetic diseases。Overall I really enjoyed it。 I think a fair one sentence summary would be: "Mitochondria are a lot more important and interesting than most people think" 。。。more
Joe
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An amazing explanation of how mitochondria came about making life more complex （eucaryotes and then multicellular organsims）， led to sexes， and death。 Interesting things to say about the potential for extending lifetimes。
Dave
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A found it to be a pretty challenging read for popular science。 Rewarding in the end。 Learned a lot。
Steve
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As the title states， this work is a comprehensive review of our current understanding， c。 2005， of mitochondria， the fundamental energy source embedded in most eukaryotic cells， cells with a nucleus， the essence of all plants and animals。 Even having earned a B+ in high school chemistry， this work proved challenging， for the chemical and cellular interactions involved are quite complex。 The author posits that bacteria-like cells entered eukaryotes， or their predecessors， billions of years ago an As the title states， this work is a comprehensive review of our current understanding， c。 2005， of mitochondria， the fundamental energy source embedded in most eukaryotic cells， cells with a nucleus， the essence of all plants and animals。 Even having earned a B+ in high school chemistry， this work proved challenging， for the chemical and cellular interactions involved are quite complex。 The author posits that bacteria-like cells entered eukaryotes， or their predecessors， billions of years ago and have been living in successful symbiosis ever since。 To create power and heat， mitochondria organize the transfer of both electrons and protons within our cells; they contain their own DNA， passed along exclusively through our mothers， and govern cellular health， ultimately through apoptosis， controlled cell death。 In detailing the many complexities involving mitochondria， the author suggests that many health care solutions popularly imagined， particularly involving damaging free radicals—atoms or molecules with a single， unpaired electron， which apparently underlie the aging process—are far from reach， if not unreachable。 。。。more
Sam
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A simply epic tale of the most known but poorly understood organelle of the cell。 An absolute must read for anyone with an interest in biology， health， how we all got here and where we are going。
Bill Leach
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A great book on mitochondria， even though it was written in 2006。 Interesting intro， as Lane states that it is now known that Neanderthals did not breed with H。 sapiens。Eukaryotes differ from bacteria being 10，000 to 100，000 times larger in cell size， having orders of magnitude more DNA， and having the DNA wrapped in to complex， inaccessible structures。 The Archaea also differ from bacteria in many ways， their cell walls differing in chemical composition， having their DNA wrapped up in histones， A great book on mitochondria， even though it was written in 2006。 Interesting intro， as Lane states that it is now known that Neanderthals did not breed with H。 sapiens。Eukaryotes differ from bacteria being 10，000 to 100，000 times larger in cell size， having orders of magnitude more DNA， and having the DNA wrapped in to complex， inaccessible structures。 The Archaea also differ from bacteria in many ways， their cell walls differing in chemical composition， having their DNA wrapped up in histones， and the mechanism by which their ribosomes construct proteins。 Alpha-protobacteriums are cell parasites that have discarded all genes but those required for reproduction and respiration。Eukaryotes appear to have resulted from the merger of a methanogen， a type of Archaean that lives n oxygen-poor environments， and a alpha-protobacterium。 The Hydrogen Hypothesis proposes that the versatile alpha-protobacterium could either ferment producing hydrogen gas or respire with oxygen， as circumstances dictated。 Initially， this organism lived in oxygen poor seas where it fermented food， producing hydrogen and CO2。 The methanogen lived off these wastes。 The methanogen eventually engulfed the bacteria， providing a greater surface area for capturing food and producing glucose。 The bacteria contributed genes for the breakdown of glucose， for it's own use。 The resulting organism was more flexible in that it could now thrive in oxygen rich environments。The evolution of eukaryotes - those cells with a nucleus and possessing mitochondria - appears to have have only happened once， after hundreds of millions of years of bacterial life。Respiration works via a series of redox reactions that pump protons across a membrane。 The resulting electrical potential drives the reaction that generates ATP which is the energy source for the organism。Fermentation can be considered to be more complex than respiration in that it involves more chemical steps。 The mechanism of fermentation differs between bacteria and archaea， suggesting that they evolved it independently。 It is thought that the Last Universal Common Ancestor （LUCA） did not have a lipid membrane。 Iron pyrite forms inorganic membranes naturally。 These bubbles are acidic and conduct electrons， suggesting that they may have been the original structures around which respiration developed。 As the sun oxidizes the oceans and is the ultimate driver for the formation of such cells。Bacteria proliferate so quickly that they quickly consume all food in their environment。 Their ability to compete depends not on their food consumption but their reproduction rate。 As this it inversely proportional to the quantity of DNA， bacteria tend toward losing genes and becoming smaller。 As well， their cell efficiency in greater with a larger ratio of surface area to volume。Once eukaryotes formed， much of the genetic material was transferred from the mitochondria to the host。 The mitochondria retained only the genes required to quickly respond to respiration changes。Animal size roughly varies with metabolic rate to the power of 0。75。 Much work has been done on this with some recent work suggesting it to be a function of both resting and maximal metabolic rates。Cell death - apoptosis - is executed by the mitochondria。 In response to internal and external sensors of cell degradation， the membrane is depolarized， free-radicals and released and chemical processes destroy the cell。Mitochondrial genes are passed on entirely through the egg。 If mitochondrial genes were passed on by both parents， the host cell would suffer from competition between them。Larger animals have a lower metabolic rate and live longer。 While the general relationship applies for most animals， there are exceptions， most notably the birds which live 3 to 4 times longer。 Ageing is usually linked to disease， with the birds developing such diseases well after mammals of equivalent size and appearing to die from muscle wastage rather than degenerative diseases。Free radical leakage appears to have evolved to be in tune with the lifespan of the animal。 Oxidation in the mitochondria produces free radicals that signal the need for additional respiratory complexes。 If the mitochondria do not respond， the nuclear genes take over and produce more mitochondria。 If that fails， apoptosis destroys the cell。 In old organisms， tissue loss reduces organ size but the cellular loss also destroys cells with mitochondrial mutations and other deficiencies。It is possible that aging could be reduced by reducing free radical leakage。 Anti-oxidants don't work because free radicals are important to the cell signalling processes。 On the other hand， a Japanese sub-population with a specific mitochondrial mutation have a 50% greater chance of reaching the age of 100， and have a 50% lesser probability of being hospitalized in later life。 。。。more
Bob
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Layman friendly and fascinating
Alex Kahn
，
Compelling， but dense survey of mitochondrial cellular biology and evolution。I was mislead by the title - I thought it was going to be about psychology。 Instead， it is about chemical power generation， sexual combination in cells， and cell death。
Biologist
，
During my high school studies， and also during my first year as an undergraduate indeed， I thought mitochondria are really just nothing more than "the powerhouses of the cell"。 It took me this book to realize that mitochondria are fundamental to life as we know it， and concepts like sex， apoptosis， ageing， complexity are all rooted in this tiny organelle。The author is great at explaining complex biological concepts in an everyday language， and he can also translate the debates of a certain field During my high school studies， and also during my first year as an undergraduate indeed， I thought mitochondria are really just nothing more than "the powerhouses of the cell"。 It took me this book to realize that mitochondria are fundamental to life as we know it， and concepts like sex， apoptosis， ageing， complexity are all rooted in this tiny organelle。The author is great at explaining complex biological concepts in an everyday language， and he can also translate the debates of a certain field to a readable/enjoyable discussion。 He tends to have a summary section every 10-20 pages， so the reader can catch up even if the subject is difficult to understand for first。 Lane （the author） is also seemingly free of biases， he discusses/explains multiple theories for certain concepts， and usually he is the first to admit when he （or the field in general） doesn't know something。 In a few years some things in the book might prove to be complete nonsense， because science is advancing， and especially in biology， things can turn around completely every once in a while a huge discovery comes。 However， I'm sure this book will stay relevant for a long time because of its smooth "story-telling" and flow of arguments， and its easy to understand introduction to various fields of biology （from evolutionary biology to cell biology）。I can't recommend this book enough。 If you enjoy reading biology or science in general， this book is for you。 I'm definitely going to continue with the other books of the author。 。。。more
Asvin
，
Great book！ The book is wonderfully detailed and complicated （in a good way）。 Given the intricate subject matter， I found it wonderfully clear， like a good detective story。 After all， any science is at it's heart， a detective story！The epilogue is a great summary of the entire book and I might be returning to it to refresh myself in a year's time。Notes for myself:The energy pumpThe mitochondria （and chloroplast） generate energy in a similar way to a hydroelectric dam by pumping electrons to gene Great book！ The book is wonderfully detailed and complicated （in a good way）。 Given the intricate subject matter， I found it wonderfully clear， like a good detective story。 After all， any science is at it's heart， a detective story！The epilogue is a great summary of the entire book and I might be returning to it to refresh myself in a year's time。Notes for myself:The energy pumpThe mitochondria （and chloroplast） generate energy in a similar way to a hydroelectric dam by pumping electrons to generate a proton gradient across their cell membrane。 This gradient is used for lots of things， perhaps most importantly， to generate ATP in the ATPase situated along the cell wall。What role does the cell wall play？In prokaryotes， it is essential to maintain a proton gradient by keeping the outside of the cell acidic in order to generate energy （and ATP）， among other functions。 In eukaryotes， this is done by the mitochondria so there is no need for a cell wall。Why do bacteria have so many genes and are so small compared to eukaryotes？ Energy produced is proportional to surface area so want small size。 In the case of eukaryotes， they can just increase the number of mitochondria！Also， bacteria replicate very quickly under high selective pressure so need to minimize genes （the negatives of which are counteracted by lateral gene transfer）。 In the case of eukaryotes， they can out compete by predation opportunities afforded by the greater size and versatility。 Sex and aging Sex and aging are similar and are both mechanisms to repair faulty genes and cells respectively。 When cell fusion happens， the genes in the nucleus recombine but what about the mitochondrial genes？ They have to be matched to the genes in the nucleus so it's easier to just keep one copy which is why only females pass down the mitochondria。 This is also why it's easiest to only have two sexes。 Free radical theory of aging Free radical leak happens in the process of the electron pump。 These free radicals are used to control the production of energy and maintain the health of mitochondria from the nucleus but free radicals also cause mitochondrial dna to mutate over time which damages them。The cell reacts to this by killing the mitochondria that are damaged past a limit and boosting the production of the others。 However， over time all the mitochondria might be damaged beyond saving and in this case the body has no choice but to terminate the cell。 This leads to tissue damage and causes degenerative diseases。To fix this， the best thing would be to slow down the leak of free radicals。 This can be done for instance by creating higher demand for energy so that the pump works smoothly which explains why athletes are fitter and age slower。 。。。more
Sally
，
A fascinating account of mitochondria， how they developed， their influence on the development of multicellular life， their influence on our lives， and what we are learning about them today。 There is also a lot about bacteria， why they evolved as they have， and why they did not produce multicellular or large cellular life for two billion years， and are still small and simple today。 This is not a text book。 The author covers the development of findings and theories， and profiles some of the main s A fascinating account of mitochondria， how they developed， their influence on the development of multicellular life， their influence on our lives， and what we are learning about them today。 There is also a lot about bacteria， why they evolved as they have， and why they did not produce multicellular or large cellular life for two billion years， and are still small and simple today。 This is not a text book。 The author covers the development of findings and theories， and profiles some of the main scientists behind these， but the book is a lively polemic by a working scientists for particular views on matters that are still not settled -- and many matters are not settled in this field。 The argumentative nature of the book makes it more interesting， though you just absorb one view of a subject to find that it was superseded and then maybe superseded again。 I'd be curious to read an update because research in the field seemed to be moving so quickly。 A very enjoyable book。 。。。more
Ri
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This is quite possibly my favourite popular science book。If any of my friends stumble across this review， they're going to recognise me， but whatevs。Mitochondria。 Endosymbiotic Theory。 Proteins。 Photosynthesis。 Respiration。 Peter Mitchell。 All of it。Seriously， if you're even remotely interested in how we came to be， give this book a read。 It's fantastic。 This is quite possibly my favourite popular science book。If any of my friends stumble across this review， they're going to recognise me， but whatevs。Mitochondria。 Endosymbiotic Theory。 Proteins。 Photosynthesis。 Respiration。 Peter Mitchell。 All of it。Seriously， if you're even remotely interested in how we came to be， give this book a read。 It's fantastic。 。。。more
Miloš
，
I first heard of Nick Lane in the awesome Radiolab episode "Cellmates"， which also introduced me to Ed Yong， both of them now being my sci-pop favorites。The main premise of this book is the importance and the consequences of the singular joining event of mitochondrion-to-be bacteria and its host， archaea which spawned protoeucaryota。 This allowed these early， tentative， nucleus-free symbionts to evolve without energy/size/complexity constraints that kept procaryota in the evolutionary cul-de-sac I first heard of Nick Lane in the awesome Radiolab episode "Cellmates"， which also introduced me to Ed Yong， both of them now being my sci-pop favorites。The main premise of this book is the importance and the consequences of the singular joining event of mitochondrion-to-be bacteria and its host， archaea which spawned protoeucaryota。 This allowed these early， tentative， nucleus-free symbionts to evolve without energy/size/complexity constraints that kept procaryota in the evolutionary cul-de-sac until this day。 Protoeucariota soon developed nucleus， growth， predation， multicellularity， and eventually sex and apoptosis。The book gives us great insight into scientific reasoning， leading us through several iterations of ingenious （but， sadly， often debunked） theories on the origins of （eucaryotic） life， theories that evolved similarly to their subjects。 。。。more
Wa'il
，
5 Stars for simply providing a wonderful view into the invisible cellular world， which is further made interesting by a wide range of implications。
Yoric
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Science as I like it。 Understanding what our cells and nucleus are doing on their own can be fascinating。 In the mitochondria genes is encoded the programmation of the cell death， a kind of cell suicide for the greater good of the whole organism。 In case of cancer， this mechanism gets dysfonctional。 It might sounds paradoxical that cell death means life， and cell immortality means death。As this book explains modern biology facts， we realize how recent those discoveries are， and how little do we Science as I like it。 Understanding what our cells and nucleus are doing on their own can be fascinating。 In the mitochondria genes is encoded the programmation of the cell death， a kind of cell suicide for the greater good of the whole organism。 In case of cancer， this mechanism gets dysfonctional。 It might sounds paradoxical that cell death means life， and cell immortality means death。As this book explains modern biology facts， we realize how recent those discoveries are， and how little do we know in this microscopic world that makes us。The wonders of life's mysteries in a scientific way。 。。。more
Jessica Kuzmier
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