Power, Sex, Suicide

Power, Sex, Suicide
Author :
Publisher : OUP Oxford
Total Pages : 370
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0191513016
ISBN-13 : 9780191513015
Rating : 4/5 (16 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Power, Sex, Suicide by : Nick Lane

Download or read book Power, Sex, Suicide written by Nick Lane and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2005-10-13 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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


Power, Sex, Suicide Related Books

Power, Sex, Suicide
Language: en
Pages: 370
Authors: Nick Lane
Categories: Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2005-10-13 - Publisher: OUP Oxford

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

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 livi
Life Ascending
Language: en
Pages: 353
Authors: Nick Lane
Categories: Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2010-10-01 - Publisher: Profile Books

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Winner of the 2010 Royal Society Prize for science books Powerful new research methods are providing fresh and vivid insights into the makeup of life. Comparing
Oxygen
Language: en
Pages: 385
Authors: Nick Lane
Categories: Health & Fitness
Type: BOOK - Published: 2002 - Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Oxygen offers fresh perspectives on our own lives and deaths, explaining modern killer diseases, why we age, and what we can do about it. Advancing revelatory n
Suicide of a Superpower
Language: en
Pages: 497
Authors: Patrick J. Buchanan
Categories: Political Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2011-10-18 - Publisher: Macmillan

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The New York Times–bestselling conservative author explains why he believes certain social trends will lead to the downfall of the United States. America is d
Breakdown
Language: en
Pages: 380
Authors: Eileen McNamara
Categories: Law
Type: BOOK - Published: 1995 - Publisher:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This is the critically-acclaimed true account of the promising young Harvard student's suicide and the bizarre and controversial therapy of his psychiatrist as