A very clear explanation of the importance of bioenergetics in the origin of life and the evolution of the eukaryotes, and a detailed discussion of the possible role of endosymbiosis in the evolution of complex organisms, sex, apoptosis and aging. A lot has happened since I learned the Krebs cycle, and just the update, including the extraordinary appearance of ATP synthase, along with the discussion relating biochemistry to evolution makes the book worthwhile. Dr. Lane's imagined trip through a mitochondrion, shrinking us to the size of an ATP molecule, to explain chemiosmotic coupling is inspired. ( )

This was an exciting book and I really enjoyed it. I didn't understand fairly big chunks of the science involved, but it still left me feeling that I understood something about the origin and early evolution of life, a topic I am in awe of. ( )

Lane simply “forgot” Margulis’ work?? What the hell?It’s all Martin this and Martin that! Is this what pop-science has come to??

Reading this in 2020 after the "discovery" of Phosphorus on Venus I might add Soviet probes found P2O6 in atmosphere, that oxidation level phosphorus can produce PxHy more or less directly. Then one has to consider things like seasonal variability in atmosphere of Venus (not really orbital seasons, more like solar cycle seasons), something also can act as phosphorus III buffer accumulating it in upper atmosphere and then releasing phosphines periodically making concentration spikes, there's potentially a lot of interesting mechanisms to be aware of. I'm of course super excited for it to be the real biological thing, but phosphines there is a kind of weak biosignature.

During a scientific study carried out in 2019 at the Kidd Mine in Canada an organism was discovered over 2 Km below the surface that breathes sulfur and eats rocks as its regular food source. It joined a growing list of 'extremophiles', microorganisms that live in extreme conditions and suggests to me two likely scenarios. Either the universe is teaming with life of one outrageous kind or another or life is confined to a single, mediocre little planet and is in serious danger of extinction because one particular form of life isn't as smart as it thinks it is.

Only if you do an ostrich act and keep your head in the sand about all the politicians, military personnel, and whistle blowers who have given overwhelming evidence that aliens not only exist but have been captured and their tech reverse engineered to the point where half of what is seen in the skies now is ours, not theirs. Kennedy was assassinated one week after he ordered the spooks to release all the UFO files and collaborate with the Soviets on space tech. He was mentored by James Forestal, the first US defense secretary, who also wanted to release the UFO files. He developed an alleged sudden illness and was cooped up in the top floor of a building and not allowed to see his family. His body was found on the road outside. He allegedly killed himself, like others who wanted the truth out there. There! I can do a Lane act as well, but I’m not bashing anyone (only Lane...lol)! ( )

An interesting book, but this is absolutely not for the newbie. While the descriptions are good and the science is interesting I found myself deep in the world of molecular biology, and no matter how good the writer, that's a place only for those who consider "ribosome" and mitochondria basic terminology.

Overall the book is a little slow, the author has a tendency to drag things out, and while it's interesting and much of it is a new or more indepth for me (BS Biology, DVM, moderately well read on science), it did often read that the author was giving more weight to his beliefs because they were his beliefs (shocker) while tossing outside other ideas still considered widely possible as we wade through life and learn along the way. Definitely not a book to read if you're looking for an unbiased take on what's out there in the field. There is a good references section, etc., so readers can do their own reading.

Overall an interesting book, I learned lots of interesting tidbits, but slow, such that I often skimmed to the next interesting factoid. ( )

This is a nicely written science book for intelligent people. No interviews or fashion commentary. Lane examines the fundamental requirement of life, namely energy. The starts off with examining what life and living is and then takes a look at how (and where) the first cells possibly evolved. Many hypotheses are examined, discarded or elaborated upon. Lane also takes cell evolution further by examining the evolution of complex cells, why most eukaryotes have two different sexes, how cells die, what powers a cell, and a host of other interesting goodies. There is a fair amount of physics, biochemistry and chemistry in this book, along with several illustrations and diagrams. Lane tends to be a bit repetitive, but with a complex subject like this, it probably helps to recap previous points. This is a fascinating book that makes a great addition to his previous book Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life. ( )