Product Description
If it weren't for mitochondria, scientists argue, we'd all still be single-celled bacteria. Indeed, these tiny structures inside our cells are important beyond imagining. Without mitochondria, we would have no cell suicide, no sculpting of embryonic shape, no sexes, no menopause, no aging. In this fascinating and thought-provoking book, Nick Lane brings together the latest research in this exciting field to show how our growing insight into mitochondria has shed light on how complex life evolved, why sex arose (why don't we just bud?), and why we age and die. These findings are of fundamental importance, both in understanding life on Earth, but also in controlling our own illnesses, and delaying our degeneration and death. Readers learn that two billion years ago, mitochondria were probably bacteria living independent lives and that their capture within larger cells was a turning point in the evolution of life, enabling the development of complex organisms. Lane describes how mitochondria have their own DNA and that its genes mutate much faster than those in the nucleus. This high mutation rate lies behind our aging and certain congenital diseases. The latest research suggests that mitochondria play a key role in degenerative diseases such as cancer. We also discover that mitochondrial DNA is passed down 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," giving us vital information about our evolutionary history. Written by Nick Lane, a rising star in popular science, Power, Sex, Suicide is the first book for general readers on the nature and function of these tiny, yet fascinating structures.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 5.0 based on 28 reviews)

Excellent overall by David G. Estock

4 Stars
September 22, 2009
This is a very good book on the mechanics of life. The author does an excellent job of explaining the the fundamentals of how we work at a chemical level. He writes in a very clear but sometimes lackluster style (given the obvious "affection" he has for the material). Plus he occassionally repeats the same point in consecutive sentences, which often made me feel like I was "fighting" this book. One other item that the author probably had no control over: the print (in the paperback edition at least) was tiny. I'm 40 with pretty good vision, but still occassionally had to put this down for a few minutes to get my eyes to focus again.

One of the very best biology books by Roy Marsten (Atlanta, GA, USA)

5 Stars
September 12, 2009
This is an earlier book (2005) by the author of "Life Ascending" (2009). I read it because I liked "Life Ascending" so much. This one expands on the role of mitochondria, and is full of amazing stuff I didn't know. I read a lot of biology, evolution, and genetics and this is definitely one of the very best. Lane keeps up with the very latest research, which I wouldn't be able to understand, and weaves it into a coherent story of our best current understanding of what life is and how it works. Highest recommendation. I have just started reading his even earlier book "Oxygen" (2002).

fantastic read! and kindle comments by Steven C. West (Tucson, AZ USA)

5 Stars
September 06, 2009
This is one of the most interesting and informative books I've ever read. I really enjoyed learning about basic cell biology, energy production, and the potential evolutionary paths of cells. It's pretty dense and passages require multiple reads because of the terminology that is unfamiliar to me. However, it was completely well worth the effort. It is indeed one of the books that change your outlook on life and instill a natural curiosity to learn even more. I've somehow made it to midlife having never learned about the proton pump! Also, the kindle version (which I read) includes a pretty good rendering of the figures and captions. Although a few of the figures are too large and complicated to be well rendered on my original kindle. Having ready access to the dictionary on the kindle was vital for me reading of this book. I also kept a detailed run of highlights, so I can go back and read snippets containing the terms and concepts I want to remember and refresh from time to time.

Needs a good editor by Carl A. Chiulli

3 Stars
August 04, 2009
This is great material but is poorly written. I am a research scientist, and a literate English speaker. I found the exposition often crammed together with a poor logical flow. Tables, graphs and diagrams and microphotographs are not used often. They would have been quite useful to any visually oriented readers. I think that additional editing by a physical scientist would have encouraged better exposition of the authors ideas. The use of friends and colleagues in the similar fields as the author creates an inbred editorial perspective that has failed to maximize the value of this book.

Wow! by L. Lew (Franklin Sq., NY USA)

5 Stars
May 26, 2009
No one knows how this book will be treated in 30 or 40 years but for now, to me at least, it is a revelation. It makes sense, it's written in plain English and contains some of the most far reaching and interesting ideas a literate science layperson could ask for. Highly recommended.

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