Oxygen
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Description
In Oxygen, Nick Lane takes the reader on an enthralling journey as he unravels the unexpected ways in which oxygen spurred the evolution of life and death. He shows how oxygen underpins the origin of biological complexity, the birth of photosynthesis, the sudden evolution of animals, the need for two sexes, the accelerated aging of cloned animals like Dolly the sheep, and the surprisingly long lives of bats and birds. Drawing on this grand evolutionary canvas, 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 new ideas, following chains of evidence, the book ranges through many disciplines, from environmental sciences to molecular medicine. The result is a captivating vision of contemporary science and a humane synthesis of our place in nature. This remarkable book will redefine the way we think about the world.Reviews
"A thought-provoking popularization of evolution and oxygen biochemistry."--New England Journal of Medicine
"Nothing less than a total rethink of how life evolved between about 3.5 billion and 543 million years ago, and how that relates to the diseases we suffer from today.... This is scientific writing at its best."--Financial Times
"A worthy effort with a clearly argued message, full of informative and entertaining details."--American Scientist
"Provocative and complexly argued."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"One of the most thought-provoking books I have ever read."--John Emsley
Product Details
384 pages; 13 line illus.; 5-1/4 x 7-3/4; ISBN13: 978-0-19-860783-0ISBN10: 0-19-860783-0About the Author(s)
Nick Lane is an honorary research fellow at University College, London, and strategic director at Adelphi MediCine, a medical multimedia company based in London. His writings have appeared in numerous international journals, including Scientific American, The Lancet, and the British Medical Journal. He lives in London.
