Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life ebook

by Nick Lane

Nick Lane Without mitochondria, we would have no cell suicide .

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase. Nick Lane's book is written as a series of lectures. However, 'Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life' contains important information for anyone taking, or considering taking, antioxidant supplements. I recommend reading chapters 17 and 18, and the Epilogue, even if you're not particularly interested in the arguments surrounding the origin of the eukaryotic cell, proton power, or the power laws of biology.

The reasons relate mostly to the selection pressures that face bacteria. These are different from eukaryotic cells because bacteria, for the most part, do not eat each other. ation therefore depends largely on the speed of their replication. This in turn depends on two critical factors: first, copying the bacterial genome is the slowest step of replication, so the larger the genome, the slower is replication; and second, cell division costs energy, so the least energetically efficient bacteria replicate the slowest.

Mitochondria, then, are pivotal in power, sex, and suicide.

Xiii, 354 p. : 24 cm. Includes bibliographical references and index

Xiii, 354 p. Includes bibliographical references and index. The deepest evolutionary chasm - Quest for a progenitor - The hydrogen hypothesis - The meaning of respiration - Proton power - The origin of life - Why bacteria are simple - Why mitochondria make complexity possible - The power laws of biology - The warm-blooded revolution - Conflict in the body

Power, Sex, Suicide book. In this fascinating and thought-provoking book, Nick Lane brings together the latest If it weren't for mitochondria, scientists argue, we'd all still be single-celled bacteria.

Power, Sex, Suicide book.

Аудиокнига "Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life", Nick Lane. Читает Nigel Patterson. Мгновенный доступ к вашим любимым книгам без обязательной ежемесячной платы. Слушайте книги через Интернет и в офлайн-режиме на устройствах Android, iOS, Chromecast, а также с помощью Google Ассистента. Скачайте Google Play Аудиокниги сегодня!

Developing Capacities for Teaching Responsible Science in the MENA Region: Refashioning Scientific Dialogue. Sustainable Development of Algal Biofuels in the United States. 21 MB·10,754 Downloads·New! Biofuels made from algae are gaining attention as a domestic source of renewable fuel.

Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life is a 2005 popular science book by Nick Lane of University College London, which argues that mitochondria are central to questions of the evolution of multicellularity, the evolution of sexual reproduction, and to the process of senescence. Amongst the theories advanced in the book, Lane endorses the hydrogen hypothesis for the formation of the eukaryotic cell, whereby mitochondria are the original defining characteristic of the structure

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.

Nalmergas

Fascinating book about the evolution of cells and the role of mitochondria in allowing large eukaryote cells and multi-cellular organisms. Extremely clear descriptions of how things work, and an excellent framework for understanding issues in evolution, how sex in single-celled eukaryotes led to apoptosis in multi-cellular organisms, issues in tracking evolution using maternal mitochondrial DNA, why Aubrey de Gray's suggestion that we move mitochondrial DNA into our cell's nucleus as part of an anti-aging protocol won't work (when we can do the in-vivo gene manipulation), and how cells use reactive oxygen species as signals.

The book explains a number of things I've wondered about:
(1) Why does a mother's environment affect the children of her daughters? It's because the unit of growth is the cell, not just DNA, and the daughter's eggs are formed in-utero. So if the mother is stressed nutritionally early in the pregnancy, it affects her daughter's children by reducing the robustness of her daughter's eggs.
(2) Why don't antioxidants increase longevity? It's because the cell uses ROS as a signal for proteins needed by the mitochondria and to grow more mitochondria, and needs a finely tuned level of internal anti-oxidant machinery in order to hear the signal, yet not be damaged by it. So taking extra Vitamin C or E reduce the internal signaling, and might cause premature apoptosis of the cell because it degrades the health of your mitochondria. This ties into studies showing that Vit C and/or E reduce the benefits of exercise, by shutting down the internal ROS signaling pathways.
(3) How can we improve our own longevity? It looks like the major factor is the rate of leakage of ROS from mitochondria. So things that reduce this leakage make a big difference: (a) where possible, have your cells run on fat instead of glucose, because that reduces free electron leak from complex I, and (b) make sure you have balanced levels of omega-6 and omega-3 PUFA, as that appears to also make a significant difference (at least in mice...)

There is much more, and I have a much better framework now for my research on how to optimize my health. Highly recommended!

Two other books in the same class are The Fourth Phase of Water: Beyond Solid, Liquid, and Vapor, and Cells, Gels and the Engines of Life.

Adokelv

This book is a little hard to understand in places. I skip over paragraphs now and then. The subject is fascinating though.

Maveri

I cannot exprese the gratitude I feel towards Nick Lane after reading this book. This is the best science book I've ever read in my life. (I'd like to study biology but don't have the means to)

Everything: The format the book is written (it's divided in small sub chapters that you can read very quickly if you don't have time, i.e. in the morning instead of a newspaper article), the way Lane explains concepts (I even learned basic biology ideas I was never able to grasp), the way he presents the ideas itself...
Power, Sex, Suicide gives me the same sense of awe and admiration that Cosmos gave me the first time I saw it. I'd really wish Lane was as famous as Sagan in terms of popularizing science.
He (Lane) even presents ideas he doesn't agree with, which I really loved.

I'm looking forward to buying Oxygen and of course as you can see now I'm a really huge, huge Lane's fan.

Agantrius

Since the beginning of recorded history one of the most enduring problems faced by scientist and philosophers alike was the origin of life itself. Some thought (and still think) that only some sort of supreme being could be responsible for that first spark of life. Others feel the answer may be rooted in biochemical reactions that occurred in some primeval ocean. In Power, Sex, Suicide author Nick Lane, being a biochemist himself, focuses on the scientific side of the argument. It wasn't till the 1840's that the first intercellular structures were observed and later, in 1898, the term "mitochondria" was first coined. So the quest for origins was expanded to include the nucleus, mitochondria and other organelles. Over the intervening years many different scientist have addressed this issue resulting a variety of ideas as to how life got started and then bridged the gap between bacteria and eukaryotic cells. Lane covers many of the theories in some detail, giving the reader an inside look on how science works. Concepts like the Hydrogen hypothesis, the Oxygen Bottleneck and the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) are just the tip of the iceberg. Proton Pumping is another issue that lies at the heart of the eukaryotic cell. How did that come about and how does it work? Of course the main focus of the book is the Mitochondria: What exactly is it? What is its function? And where did it come from? All present day eukaryotic organisms are related through DNA. But was it always that way? Some scientist think that at first there were many "kinds" of eukaryotes but "ours" was the only one that made it through the Oxygen Bottleneck. Others think the Great Historic Rendezvous between two different prokaryotic cells happened only once and the chance of it ever happening again is virtually nil, and the chance of it happening on another planet is just as remote. And finally, what is the identity of of the two organisms that made this historic joining? Like most science writers, Nick Lane provides his own theories and ideas on the subject, that's why he wrote the book in the first place. You may or may not agree with him on all points but that's what science is all about. At the very least this opens the door to other books and other authors who will give you their take on the Mitochondria and its origin. While Lane does a good job of making this complex subject accessible to the interested layperson there are parts of the book that are somewhat more difficult for the "non chemist" reader. On the whole though, anyone who got through High School Biology and/or Chemistry shouldn't have a problem with this book. Keep in mind that biochemistry is a fast changing field of research with new findings and new theories popping up all the time. Many of the conclusions reached in this book may have been modified or invalidated in the in the intervening years since publication. That being said, this is one of the best science books I've ever read so if you're up to the challenge -- go for it. I had no technical or formatting issues with this Kindle edition.

LastRanger

Dikus

This is a pretty heavy book for those who don't have a good biology background. The author writes well and be tries to tell his story as simply as possible. But the subject matter and the concepts involved are complex. On the whole this is an excellent book for me. It stretches my mind. I took chemistry in college. I had had a choice between physics, chemistry or biology. So I haven't had any real exposure to biology since high school. Since I went to high school in the fifties almost everything I had learned then is now more or less obsolete.