Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life

As another reviewer stated, this really is a life-changing book. I read it after taking a course in biochemistry and it had even more impact on me in tying a lot of fascinating concepts together. The most amazing thing about this book is how influential mitochondria are on our lives and subsequently how little we (you!) know about them. They're why we(eukaryotes AND warm-blooded animals)'re here, why we're large, why bacteria can't become like us, why we have gender, why we have sex and why we die. Fascinating stuff--definitely a book you should buy (especially considering the title is quite a conversation starter too).

Add two more topics to power, sex and suicide, and you have covered what the book is about, the topics being the origins of life and Lane's primary interest, aging. No, mitochondria were not involved in the origin of life, but just as they power cells by creating a charge differential across their membranes, earliest life is theorized to have begun when ocean and volcanic fluids mixed, creating bubbles (think cells) with a naturally occurring charge differential, and the metals which can catalyze organic reactions. This work is more polished and unified than Lane's previous effort, "Oxygen", and will bowl you over, whether or not you have read "Oxygen". Much as Lane loves the theories he is espousing, he loves even more the scientific reasoning which supports the theories: a good thing as the theories are in flux. While Lane is generally clear, and not technical, this can be a little misleading: the reader should have some background in evolution and concepts like the "selfish gene", and know something about how the cell works. Lane has as a small glossary, but I actually had more trouble with some terms which appear self-explanatory on the surface, but which are used differently by different scientists: metabolic efficiency, stress. I don't buy Lane's conclusion that eukaryotes, or their equivalent, arose only once. Just because all current eukaryotes have one common ancestor is no proof at all to me that there were not unsuccessful lines. I am also struck by the amount of "simple" empirical research which needs to be accomplished; e.g, do we actually make do with fewer cells as we age and some cells die without being replaced?

This is the first accessible book that describes the crucial steps, on a cellular level, that allowed for advanced life forms. It also provides insights on sex and death. His book on Oxygen was remarkable, this more so. Worth a patient read, it is profound, with subject matter not addressed elsewhere.

Few to no equations, not all that many figures, terminology introduced as needed, yet... this book is demanding. It has the capacity to put the reader through the proverbial wringer. It is slow going, not because it is per se difficult to read, but because it brings forth many questions and much thought. When I finish it, I will need to read it again. It might be worth buying a copy for everyone in the local high school's biology course, in hopes that 2 or 3 people would read it, then be inspired and motivated to study hard toward real science. How can one not be excited by the quest for a Last Universal Common Ancestor, whether there be one or more? How can one not be fascinated by a reprise on mitochondria, which in (even a very good) high school biology course 36 years ago were too glibly termed "the powerhouse of the cell" (but did we really know much more than this about them)? We now have specific and wonderous mechanisms of energetics, a possibility of discernable origins and history, and a convincing argument for a fundamental and perhaps unique point of departure from the all-microscopic and limited prokaryotic world, toward eukaryotes and rich and complex life. Lane presents his opinions and speculation in addition to settled science, but these are clearly and responsibly identified. In several instances, opposing views are noted in sufficient detail to allow one to investigate another side of the argument. A Further Reading bibliography cites original journal papers.

After the origin of life, the next big step on the way to us was the origin of eukaryotes. These are all the organisms - including people, trees, mushrooms, and slime molds - who package most of our DNA into chromosomes in cell nuclei. Mitochondria, the "powerhouses" of eukaryotes, are descended from bacteria which took to living in a very close relationship with another type of one-celled organism; in fact they came to live inside the other. Nick Lane argues that this merger must have preceded the formation of the nuclear membrane. Hence "Penultimate Roots Trip". Lane starts with a brief section on the origin of life, in order to present necessary information about how organisms get usable energy. This strongly supports his claim that something like a mitochondrion is necessary for life to become more complex than bacteria. After that he describes how formerly free-living bacteria could have evolved into the vastly stripped-down mitochondria. Then he builds up a picture of how that partnership led to the complexities of modern organisms. And I really do mean "builds". Each chapter draws on material from earlier chapters, and the picture becomes more complex as you go on. Fortunately, there are frequent recaps of the material you're about to need. Marvelously, he manages to tell this story in mostly plain English. A little bit of technical language is unavoidable, but I am confident that it will not be a problem for anyone who wasn't already scared off by the word "mitochondrion" in the subtitle. In addition to power, sex, and suicide, the book also discusses aging. Lane presents his ideas on why current attempts to slow aging don't seem to be working and gives some suggestions for research he finds more promising. This is the culmination of the book and I hope it provokes a lot of thought in readers at all levels of technical knowledge. [Original review 14 Dec 2005; "powerhouse" comment added 25 Jan 2006.]