A review by rhyslindmark
Vital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life by Nick Lane, Nick Lane
4.0
I really wanted to give this 5 stars, but couldn't quite do it.
This book reminds me of Dawkin's Selfish Gene. An excellent synthesis of cutting edge research, but a bit too scattered at the end.
The first half is an incredibly clear overview of how life began. It's a shame that the wiki abiogenesis page still emphasizes RNA world and Miller-Urey. The iron-sulfur hypothesis laid out by Lane is MUCH stronger.
Lane then goes into the importance of endosymbiosis and mitochrondria, which is again a tour de force of bioenergetics, physical biochemistry, and inevitable evolution.
The second half is less good, partially because I ran out of steam, partially because it feels out of scope. 368 pages is indeed too long.
Still, THE book to read on the origin of life, and one of my favorite biochem/evolution books along with Selfish Gene, Darwin's Dangerous Idea, and Free Energy Principle.
This book reminds me of Dawkin's Selfish Gene. An excellent synthesis of cutting edge research, but a bit too scattered at the end.
The first half is an incredibly clear overview of how life began. It's a shame that the wiki abiogenesis page still emphasizes RNA world and Miller-Urey. The iron-sulfur hypothesis laid out by Lane is MUCH stronger.
Lane then goes into the importance of endosymbiosis and mitochrondria, which is again a tour de force of bioenergetics, physical biochemistry, and inevitable evolution.
The second half is less good, partially because I ran out of steam, partially because it feels out of scope. 368 pages is indeed too long.
Still, THE book to read on the origin of life, and one of my favorite biochem/evolution books along with Selfish Gene, Darwin's Dangerous Idea, and Free Energy Principle.