Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life | 
| Author: Nick Lane
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Category: Book
Buy New: £9.99
New (23) Used (9) from £4.15
Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 115664
Media: Paperback
Edition: New edition
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 4.8 x 0.9
ISBN: 0199205647
Dewey Decimal Number: 571.657
EAN: 9780199205646
ASIN: 0199205647
Publication Date: October 26, 2006
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 A whole new world of evolution opened up November 11, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
You're certain that the universe contains other complex life forms? -- this book questions that statistical assumption.
This is a wonderful read, and takes you into areas which, even when you've a scientific background, are mostly unfamiliar territory - mitochondria....... but are they that important? - you bet they are.
First we wouldn't be here, we simply would not have evolved, had mitochondria not come into existence.How this is likely to have come about is extensively discussed.
Secondly, the author is of the view that the likelyhood of mitochondria coming into existence at all is so amazingly miniscule that, even by the universe's standards of space and time ( so huge that other theories make the probability if complex life forming a statistical near certainty ) it is, he argues, extremely unlikely to have occured more than the once that has spawned us !
Thirdly, the mitochondrion, as the powerhouse of the cell, is also the seat of much that can go wrong, and ageing and cancer etc are examines from this perspective.
Finally, the genes in mitochondria can themselves mutate and are themselves subject to natural selection - not only that, but they are actually passed down into the next generation via the gamete ( only via the maternal line )........ this is another evolutionary route which has all sorts of interesting implications.
Mitochondria - they're where it's all at !
Excellent! April 21, 2008
A fascinating overview of the importance of mitochondria, with some speculation clearly explained. It's a complicated subject, but extremely well written. Overpriced? hardly. Not sure what the previous reviewer thought the pictures could be of, anyway...
 Best book of the year January 1, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Although I was initially put off by the gimmicky title I am pleased to report that this is a really good book and should suit those with an interest in cellular biology or evolution.
I feared that this would be one of those pop-science books full of sloppy terminology and exclaimation marks.In the event this was a fascinating read about the evolution of the eukaryotic cell, and the role of mitochondria. Difficult to put down. Buy it.
Ohh mitochondria, tell us the truth September 17, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
What a book, absolutely fascinating and highly recommended, although I must say that this is not an easy book, in fact is kind of complex if you are not acquainted with the subject. This is not a critic, thing is I would not change a bit of it, but in my opinion, people should have a little knowledge of cellular metabolism and biochemistry before attempting this book.
After reading Dawkins book about the selfish gene, it was inevitable for me to wonder about life origins, why unicellular organisms have that tendency to complexity and to group itself, and how all this machinery works. This book provide a thorough and absorbing biography of Mitochondria and its symbiosis with eukaryotes, what is the function of each one, why there are two sexes and why we aged and finally become history. As you will see, our understanding of these matters is rather modest, the author insinuate possible solutions to some of the big questions, but in any case the subject is so interesting that you read this book excited all the way to the end.
How beautiful is life and how complex ... you can see that just watching a little fly and wonder how on earth this insect manage to fly, as if eukaryotes have a previous knowledge of Physics, as if they have all the basic solutions of nature in a template. I just know one thing: I want to know and read more about it.
Outstanding July 10, 2007
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book is really outstanding. It contains a tremendous lot of interesting new information. Highly recommended!
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