作者:
Nick Lane
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[英国] 尼克·莱恩 出版社: Oxford University Press 副标题: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life 出版年: 2006-12-11 页数: 368 定价: USD 17.95 装帧: Paperback ISBN: 9780199205646
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 fro...
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
Mankind has always looked to the stars, and wondered why we are here, whether we are alone in the universe. We ask why our world is alive with plants and animals, and what were the chances against it; where we came from, who our ancestors were, what our destiny holds in store. The answer to the question of life, the universe and everything is not 42, as Douglas Adams once had it, but an almost equally cryptic shorthand: it is mitochondria. For mitochondria teach us how molecules sprang to life on our planet, and why bacteria dominated for so long. They show us why bacterial sludge is likely to be the climax of evolution across this lonely universe. They teach us how the first genuinely complex cells came into being, and why, since then, life on Earth has ascended a ramp of complexity to th... (查看原文)
年度作者Nick Lane的年度书籍Power, Sex, Suicide：Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life http://dou.bz/2F1aXI 诸多评语之中其实只有Nature上的评论才是王道： 至少两个主要的，原创的，可验证的假说。这是什么意思呢？就是说本书可以作为一手的研究资料直接引用了，这对科学...
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核心内容总结（逐章） 导言：线粒体：世界的隐秘统治者 (Mitochondria: The Hidden Rulers of the World) 核心观点： 线粒体远不止是细胞的“发电厂”，它们深刻地影响甚至控制着生命的核心方面，包括复杂细胞的起源、能量代谢、性与繁殖、细胞自杀（凋亡）、衰老和死亡。它们...
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尼克·莱恩 作者
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0 有用 Forhiding 2019-04-17 13:02:51
因为《生命的跃升》而阅读的作者的第二本书。作者对生命演化基于证据进行推理，时而进行自我推翻式的反思，并且十分着眼于生化和分子层次，而不是表面的解剖学层次，也不过于依赖统计证据。基于证据和逻辑，书中的阐述影响着读者对进化大图景的总体认识。将会继续阅读作者的书。
5 有用 面具@知道疯子 2014-02-10 17:42:48
one of best science book, no doubt. Great rebellion, 不管理论是对是错，首先要了解这些事实，details，details，details，六星推荐
0 有用 dongjihu 2012-12-07 20:51:55
thoughtful, original
0 有用 Cappu 2024-11-30 21:37:12 美国
title也太吸引人了，但内容一般
0 有用 大无语 2019-01-27 18:33:36
Energy, Sex, death.