Power, Sex, Suicide
Power, Sex, Suicide is a book written by Nick Lane. The book was published in 2006 and is listed under the Science category. For readers who want to quickly understand what this title offers, this page gives a clear overview of the book, including its description, author information, page count, ratings, and ISBN details.
The full title of the book is Power, Sex, Suicide. When available, the subtitle is Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life, which gives extra context about the theme, focus, or main idea behind the book. According to the available description, 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. ‘An extraordinary account of groundbreaking modern science… The book abounds with interesting and important ideas.’ Mark Ridley, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford
This book has 354 pages, making it useful for readers who want to know the approximate length before starting. It has an average rating of 4.24, based on 2110 ratings, which can help readers understand how other people have responded to it.
For cataloging and reference purposes, the ISBN-13 is 9780199205646, while the ISBN-10 is 0199205647. These numbers are helpful when searching for the exact edition of the book online, in libraries, or in bookstores.
The book cover image can be viewed here: http://books.google.com/books/content?id=PzgTDAAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=1&edge=curl&source=gbs_api.
Overall, Power, Sex, Suicide by Nick Lane is a title that may interest readers looking for books in Science. Whether you are researching new books, comparing editions, or building a reading list, this page gives you the most important details in one place.
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