Pulse en una miniatura para ir a Google Books.
|
Cargando... Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life (2005 original; edición 2006)por Nick Lane
Información de la obraPower, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life por Nick Lane (2005)
   Ninguno Actualmente no hay Conversaciones sobre este libro.   ) Castinet | Dec 11, 2022 |  ) ElentarriLT | Mar 24, 2020 | The book goes into a lot of depth and can be overwhelming and frustrating at times, if you don't quite understand it. But what makes up for it is the number of times the key ideas are gone over, and how everything is nicely summarised at key stages, before and after an important idea is introduced. This keeps you on track if a particular example or explanation has gone straight past you. The only downfall I think is that sometimes the book references parts of the book earlier that you have already forgotten about, but I'd blame that on my short term memory and lack of understanding as opposed to a poorly written book. The content though is seriously interesting and the way mitochondria seems to affect every major part of our life is unbelievable at first but strangely falls into place after the main functions are introduced. ( ) cazmaestro | Mar 31, 2013 |  ) ianitts | May 21, 2011 | For such a heavy weight topic, and one which he doesn't hesitate to cover in depth, Nick Lane pulls this off with seeming effortless grace. I picked up this book simply because I was learning about mitochondria at the time and fancied a bit more detail. I wasn't disappointed. If you find yourself complaining about things being dumbed down then this book is for you. For once the blurb on the book itself is not overstated and we do get an insight into "the most profound questions of 21st century science", and it is indeed "full of startling insights into the nature and evolution of life as we know it". We start with a fascinating discussion of the ongoing scientific debate about how life started and it developed to the level of the cell and then multicellular organisms. The mitochondria have a larger role to play in this story than I realised. I had been awed and fascinated by how the mitochondria generate energy and this book only added to my emotions (and knowledge). Next we are given the story of the struggle (?) between the genome of your cells and the DNA in the mitochondria. Finally we see how the powerhouses of the cell play a huge role in the development of sex - maybe. This book isn't easy and I mean that in a good way. If you can read Dawkins then you can read this. As well as a talent for writing and the ability to get difficult concepts across in an entertaining way the author deserves credit for picking out such a fascinating subject that has (to my knowledge) not been given the popular science coverage it deserves. Needless to say, I have added his other books to my reading list. A great read. (  )1  psiloiordinary | Aug 28, 2009 |
 The book was written for anyone interested in some of the most profound questions of twenty-first-century science. The central proposals of Power, Sex, Suicide are clearly and forcefully propounded, are serious, have far-reaching consequences — and may even be correct. After all, not so long ago, the chemiosmotic and endosymbiont hypotheses were championed only by those thought to be mad, bad and dangerous to know. Now we read that "the dynamics of the respiratory chain are a force that has shaped the whole trajectory of life". This is a new take on why we are here. Perhaps all genes are 'housekeeping' genes, and vectorial electrons and protons were the authors of evolution — and are still its movers and shakers. Perceptions change. Do, please, read this book. Pertenece a las series editorialesPremiosListas de sobresalientes
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. No se han encontrado descripciones de biblioteca. |
Debates activosNingunoCubiertas populares
 Google Books — Cargando...GénerosSistema Decimal Melvil (DDC)571.657Natural sciences and mathematics Life Sciences, Biology Physiology and related subjects Cell biology Cytoplasm MitochondriaClasificación de la Biblioteca del CongresoValoraciónPromedio: (4.3)
¿Eres tú?Conviértete en un Autor de LibraryThing. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1