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Oxygen: The Molecule That Made the World
Oxygen has had extraordinary effects on life. Three hundred million years ago, in Carboniferous times, dragonflies grew as big as seagulls, with wingspans of nearly a metre. Researchers claim they could have flown only if the air had contained more oxygen than today - probably as much as 35 per cent. Giant spiders, tree-ferns, marine rock formations and fossil charcoals all tell the same story. High oxygen levels may also explain the global firestorm that contributed to the demise of the dinosaurs after the asteroid impact. The strange and profound effects that oxygen has had on the evolution of life pose a riddle, which this book sets out to answer. Oxygen is a toxic gas. Divers breathing pure oxygen at depth suffer from convulsions and lung injury. Fruit flies raised at twice normal atmospheric levels of oxygen live half as long as their siblings. Reactive forms of oxygen, known as free radicals, are thought to cause ageing in people. Yet if atmospheric oxygen reached 35 per cent in the Carboniferous, why did it promote exuberant growth, instead of rapid ageing and death? Oxygen takes the reader on an enthralling journey, as gripping as a thriller, as it unravels the unexpected ways in which oxygen spurred the evolution of life and death. The book explains far more than the size of ancient insects: it 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 ageing 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.
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First published September 26, 2002
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About the author
Nick Lane
24 books979 followersDr Nick Lane is a British biochemist and writer. He was awarded the first Provost's Venture Research Prize in the Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment at University College London, where he is now a Reader in Evolutionary Biochemistry. Dr Lane’s research deals with evolutionary biochemistry and bioenergetics, focusing on the origin of life and the evolution of complex cells. Dr Lane was a founding member of the UCL Consortium for Mitochondrial Research, and is leading the UCL Research Frontiers Origins of Life programme. He was awarded the 2011 BMC Research Award for Genetics, Genomics, Bioinformatics and Evolution, and the 2015 Biochemical Society Award for his sustained and diverse contribution to the molecular life sciences and the public understanding of science.
Nick Lane is the author of three acclaimed books on evolutionary biochemistry, which have sold more than 100,000 copies worldwide, and have been translated into 20 languages.
Nick's first book, Oxygen: The Molecule that Made the World (OUP, 2002) is a sweeping history of the relationship between life and our planet, and the paradoxical ways in which adaptations to oxygen play out in our own lives and deaths. It was selected as one of the Sunday Times Books of the Year for 2002.
His second book, Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life (OUP, 2005) is an exploration of the extraordinary effects that mitochondria have had on the evolution of complex life. It was selected as one of The Economist's Books of the Year for 2005, and shortlisted for the 2006 Royal Society Aventis Science Book Prize and the Times Higher Young Academic Author of the Year Award.
Nick's most recent book, Life Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution (Profile/Norton 2009) is a celebration of the inventiveness of life, and of our own ability to read the deep past to reconstruct the history of life on earth. The great inventions are: the origin of life, DNA, photosynthesis, the complex cell, sex, movement, sight, hot blood, consciousness and death. Life Ascending won the 2010 Royal Society Prize for Science Books, and was named a Book of the Year by New Scientist, Nature, the Times and the Independent, the latter describing him as “one of the most exciting science writers of our time.”
Nick's next book, due to be published in 2015 by Norton and Profile, is entitled The Vital Question. Why is life the way it is? It will attack a central problem in biology - why did complex life arise only once in four billion years, and why does all complex life share so many peculiar properties, from sex and speciation to senescence?
Nick was also a co-editor of Life in the Frozen State (CRC Press, 2004), the first major text book on cryobiology in the genomic era.
Peer-reviewed articles by Nick Lane have been published in top international journals, including Nature, Science and Cell, and he has published many features in magazines like New Scientist and Scientific American. He has appeared regularly on TV and radio, and speaks in schools and at literary and science festivals. He also worked for several years in the pharmaceutical industry, ultimately as Strategic Director of Medi Cine, a medical multimedia company based in London, where he was responsible for developing interactive approaches to medical education.
Nick is married to Dr Ana Hidalgo-Simon and lives in London with their two young sons, Eneko and Hugo. He spent many years clinging to rock faces in search of fossils and thrills, but his practical interest in palaeontology is rarely rewarded with more than a devil’s toenail. When not climbing, writing or hunting for wild campsites, he can occasionally be found playing the fiddle in London pubs with the Celtic ensemble Probably Not, or exploring Romanesque churches.
http://www.nick-lane.net/About%20Nick...
Nick Lane is the author of three acclaimed books on evolutionary biochemistry, which have sold more than 100,000 copies worldwide, and have been translated into 20 languages.
Nick's first book, Oxygen: The Molecule that Made the World (OUP, 2002) is a sweeping history of the relationship between life and our planet, and the paradoxical ways in which adaptations to oxygen play out in our own lives and deaths. It was selected as one of the Sunday Times Books of the Year for 2002.
His second book, Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life (OUP, 2005) is an exploration of the extraordinary effects that mitochondria have had on the evolution of complex life. It was selected as one of The Economist's Books of the Year for 2005, and shortlisted for the 2006 Royal Society Aventis Science Book Prize and the Times Higher Young Academic Author of the Year Award.
Nick's most recent book, Life Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution (Profile/Norton 2009) is a celebration of the inventiveness of life, and of our own ability to read the deep past to reconstruct the history of life on earth. The great inventions are: the origin of life, DNA, photosynthesis, the complex cell, sex, movement, sight, hot blood, consciousness and death. Life Ascending won the 2010 Royal Society Prize for Science Books, and was named a Book of the Year by New Scientist, Nature, the Times and the Independent, the latter describing him as “one of the most exciting science writers of our time.”
Nick's next book, due to be published in 2015 by Norton and Profile, is entitled The Vital Question. Why is life the way it is? It will attack a central problem in biology - why did complex life arise only once in four billion years, and why does all complex life share so many peculiar properties, from sex and speciation to senescence?
Nick was also a co-editor of Life in the Frozen State (CRC Press, 2004), the first major text book on cryobiology in the genomic era.
Peer-reviewed articles by Nick Lane have been published in top international journals, including Nature, Science and Cell, and he has published many features in magazines like New Scientist and Scientific American. He has appeared regularly on TV and radio, and speaks in schools and at literary and science festivals. He also worked for several years in the pharmaceutical industry, ultimately as Strategic Director of Medi Cine, a medical multimedia company based in London, where he was responsible for developing interactive approaches to medical education.
Nick is married to Dr Ana Hidalgo-Simon and lives in London with their two young sons, Eneko and Hugo. He spent many years clinging to rock faces in search of fossils and thrills, but his practical interest in palaeontology is rarely rewarded with more than a devil’s toenail. When not climbing, writing or hunting for wild campsites, he can occasionally be found playing the fiddle in London pubs with the Celtic ensemble Probably Not, or exploring Romanesque churches.
http://www.nick-lane.net/About%20Nick...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 213 reviews
October 23, 2015
I selected this book for two reasons. First, I was looking for something else to read by Nick Lane after reading Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life, and second, I'm fascinated by the story of how free oxygen arose in Earth's atmosphere.
One of the key points Lane makes about the world of science today is that it has become so fragmented and specialized that, for example, biologists often know little about geology, and vice versa for geologists. He hopes that science writers can help to fill the gaps by attempting to synthesize the disparate banks of knowledge that all relate to a common topic.
In a way, the book really two books. The first is about how early life supercharged the atmosphere with oxygen, and possibly saved the planet from a fate similar to Mars or Venus by creating the ozone layer. And then how oxygen caused the “explosion” of life forms much more complex than the bacteria which created the excess oxygen in the first place. Amid this is a fascinating discussion of LUCA, the Last Universal Common Ancestor, and how today, even though we don't know what exactly it was, we can describe many attributes that it must have had.
And in the second “book” the topic is how this abundance of oxygen now affects life today, particularly its affects on humans, primarily through the action of free radicals, oxygen-based molecules with unpaired electrons. Anti-oxidant supplements, it turns out, may not confer their hyped benefits, and in some instances of mega dosing, may be harmful.
The discussion of oxygen's relation to ageing and age related diseases such as Alzheimer's and diabetes is both fascinating and scary. In conclusion Lane states: “...oxygen is not just the engine of evolution and life, but also the single most important cause of ageing and age-related disease.”
At times I was a little overwhelmed by the complexity of the biochemistry discussions, but those didn't last long. I hope to read this one again soon with the idea that more of it will sink in the second time around. Definitely a worthwhile read.
One of the key points Lane makes about the world of science today is that it has become so fragmented and specialized that, for example, biologists often know little about geology, and vice versa for geologists. He hopes that science writers can help to fill the gaps by attempting to synthesize the disparate banks of knowledge that all relate to a common topic.
In a way, the book really two books. The first is about how early life supercharged the atmosphere with oxygen, and possibly saved the planet from a fate similar to Mars or Venus by creating the ozone layer. And then how oxygen caused the “explosion” of life forms much more complex than the bacteria which created the excess oxygen in the first place. Amid this is a fascinating discussion of LUCA, the Last Universal Common Ancestor, and how today, even though we don't know what exactly it was, we can describe many attributes that it must have had.
And in the second “book” the topic is how this abundance of oxygen now affects life today, particularly its affects on humans, primarily through the action of free radicals, oxygen-based molecules with unpaired electrons. Anti-oxidant supplements, it turns out, may not confer their hyped benefits, and in some instances of mega dosing, may be harmful.
The discussion of oxygen's relation to ageing and age related diseases such as Alzheimer's and diabetes is both fascinating and scary. In conclusion Lane states: “...oxygen is not just the engine of evolution and life, but also the single most important cause of ageing and age-related disease.”
At times I was a little overwhelmed by the complexity of the biochemistry discussions, but those didn't last long. I hope to read this one again soon with the idea that more of it will sink in the second time around. Definitely a worthwhile read.
April 24, 2016
OK, I feel like my brain has been doing 300lb bench presses for the past 342 pages of this book. This 5 Star immersion into the scientific world demanded concentration but was well worth the time invested. This is popular science that challenges but entertains at the same time. See how he describes the magical chemistry of chlorophyll:
You will be exposed to many scientific fields-chemistry, biology, gerontology, bacteriology, genetics, immunology, paleontology, and more. I’ll have to read this several times to really understand the science but it was fascinating. It is really two books. The first tells the ancient story of the “Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) and theories on how our world came to be dominated by the use of oxygen. The second book is focused on how oxygen powers our lives and yet may cause our death. The astonishing story of life is on full display here. It is also science the way it is supposed to be, skeptical and seeking proof (not the politically correct “consensus” of some current scientific studies).
Very, very good!
You will be exposed to many scientific fields-chemistry, biology, gerontology, bacteriology, genetics, immunology, paleontology, and more. I’ll have to read this several times to really understand the science but it was fascinating. It is really two books. The first tells the ancient story of the “Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) and theories on how our world came to be dominated by the use of oxygen. The second book is focused on how oxygen powers our lives and yet may cause our death. The astonishing story of life is on full display here. It is also science the way it is supposed to be, skeptical and seeking proof (not the politically correct “consensus” of some current scientific studies).
Very, very good!
July 3, 2013
Speculative hogwash. For a more civil assessment, see review in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine:
“He compounds his difficulties by including much speculative material. Lane clearly enjoys the counter-intuitive and the iconoclastic, but the reader must be given a sufficiently detailed conventional context in which the more controversial observations can be adequately appraised—particularly the general reader to whom this book is directed. The scope and diversity of the subject matter makes this requirement almost impossible to achieve with uniform success. Lane also has a disconcerting tendency to argue from overtly weak grounds (‘... evidence is not compelling, but is certainly intriguing’ [p. 139]) and, even more surprisingly, he sometimes reinstates the intuitive interpretations and responses which he has previously disparaged.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/artic...
“He compounds his difficulties by including much speculative material. Lane clearly enjoys the counter-intuitive and the iconoclastic, but the reader must be given a sufficiently detailed conventional context in which the more controversial observations can be adequately appraised—particularly the general reader to whom this book is directed. The scope and diversity of the subject matter makes this requirement almost impossible to achieve with uniform success. Lane also has a disconcerting tendency to argue from overtly weak grounds (‘... evidence is not compelling, but is certainly intriguing’ [p. 139]) and, even more surprisingly, he sometimes reinstates the intuitive interpretations and responses which he has previously disparaged.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/artic...
March 7, 2019
There are two things to take into consideration when approaching this book: target audience and volume of quality content. In my case, one was a con and the other a potential pro.
The author claims this book is for the general public. No, it is not. Even people who love this book admit this is a hard read. An educational background in biochemistry with some understanding of geochemistry and genetics are a remarkable plus. Other than that you need a lot of patience. Despite my moderate knowledge in these fields (low level college), I read this book incredibly slowly for the first third. Eventually I became reluctant to read it at all, so I gave myself permission to skim.
Did I learn a lot? Yes. In fact, it's an incredibly fact dense book, especially if you don't mind the history of all the studies leading to current speculations on oxygen and its influence on life. Much--okay, page per page, it's probably most--of the book is dedicated to fleshing out the research that has theories on oxygen. Most negative reviews focus on this aspect. You can't read this book for it's conclusions, you have to enjoy reading the process.
A part of me would love to come back in a few years after bulking up my biochemistry background so that I can read faster and hold the information instead of letting the thoughts bounce back.
Here's the thing. If I could follow the book better I'd probably give it 4 stars--I truly suspect it'd be that fun and enlightening if it was accessible. However, this is where the mismatch of author intent and execution have to be my priority when deciding how I feel about the book overall. What's the point of great content if it's too disheartening to read because it's a few too many humps of challenges to bother with? No point. I did like what I did learn, but I can't give it any more credit than the 2 stars I'll give it. If I come back, I might rebalance it in consideration of it's value of knowledge as whole versus how much of that whole I grasped as a "general audience" the first time.
The author claims this book is for the general public. No, it is not. Even people who love this book admit this is a hard read. An educational background in biochemistry with some understanding of geochemistry and genetics are a remarkable plus. Other than that you need a lot of patience. Despite my moderate knowledge in these fields (low level college), I read this book incredibly slowly for the first third. Eventually I became reluctant to read it at all, so I gave myself permission to skim.
Did I learn a lot? Yes. In fact, it's an incredibly fact dense book, especially if you don't mind the history of all the studies leading to current speculations on oxygen and its influence on life. Much--okay, page per page, it's probably most--of the book is dedicated to fleshing out the research that has theories on oxygen. Most negative reviews focus on this aspect. You can't read this book for it's conclusions, you have to enjoy reading the process.
A part of me would love to come back in a few years after bulking up my biochemistry background so that I can read faster and hold the information instead of letting the thoughts bounce back.
Here's the thing. If I could follow the book better I'd probably give it 4 stars--I truly suspect it'd be that fun and enlightening if it was accessible. However, this is where the mismatch of author intent and execution have to be my priority when deciding how I feel about the book overall. What's the point of great content if it's too disheartening to read because it's a few too many humps of challenges to bother with? No point. I did like what I did learn, but I can't give it any more credit than the 2 stars I'll give it. If I come back, I might rebalance it in consideration of it's value of knowledge as whole versus how much of that whole I grasped as a "general audience" the first time.
February 5, 2024
Quick! My brain requires an infusion of OXYGEN after that epic mental undertaking! From such a smallish paperback edition emerged a proverbial torrent of information centered around the magic and mayhem wrought by the #8 Atom! The author Nick Lane is apparently trained as a biochemist and that expertise is evident throughout, often if not usually leaving me in the dust in those sections. But unusually in this age of specialization, Lane is somewhat of a polymath and you will find him ruminating upon aspects of a wide swath of science disciplines--Paleo-geology, Atmospheric and Bio Chemistry, Evolutionary Biology, Gerontology, Bacteriology, Genetics, Immunology, Paleontology, and more. It is an utterly impressive rampage through and across the 'boundaries' of various scientific disciplines. Boundaries that often exist because things have become so crazy specialized! Lane is (was) out to explain the interconnections and does so brilliantly and with a readable style that softens the mental exertions required to keep it all straight. My little book was so littered with yellow post-it flags for key ideas (my version of underlining) that it ended up resembling a paper Chia Pet! Like many readers, I was taken by surprise as the book shifted gears drastically from the early chapters on topics related to paleo-geology and early evolution featuring the starring role of oxygen (how it was created, how it has varied over deep-time and what that meant for the evolution of life) and gradually found myself immersed in an extensive analysis of the science of human aging (and its relation to--oxygen). That part was not why I picked up the book--at the bookstore I was caught up by the charts on oxygen fluctuations through geologic time and the role of ancient ice ages (he describes the 'Snowball Earth' theory). But I found the second half stuff totally fascinating as I was in very new territory for much of it. Discussions on the nature and role of Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA), free radicals, antioxidants, Vitamin C, oxidative stress, insulin-resistance, mitochondrial DNA (in birds vs. mammals!), rate of living theories and much more. The book was written in 2002 so some of the concepts discussed may have been refined or even disproven by now but who cares? I will definitely look for some of his other books! It seems that 5-stars is almost mandated by the sheer breadth and quality of the work and writing but I might say 4.5 stars only because he almost tries to do too much. Yet I rounded up as it is really quite impressive and pretty readable--with some oxygen breaks, haha.
August 20, 2025
I listened to the Audible 2021 version of Oxygen, which was clearly updated from the original 2002 version given the seemingly much greater length (roughly ~25% longer than the original it appears). The content of Oxygen overlaps substantially with Lane's other books, namely Power, Sex, and Suicide, though it focuses on the biochemistry related to oxygen.
Lane uncontroversially asserts is that oxygen is the deep driver of life’s major transitions and many of its pathologies: the rise of complex ecosystems, the constraints on animal body plans, the tempo of evolutionary innovations and mass extinctions, and our metabolism and aging. There are ways in which this narrative build complexity on top of many of the ideas that are taught in elementary school and later secondary school science classes; he's also quick to call attention to ways in which his - much more detailed narrative - deviates from textbook orthodoxies.
There are some paradoxical aspects to oxygen's biological roles. It is an indispensable electron acceptor (aka an oxidant), but its potency gives its an edge, making it liable to be as damaging as it is energizing. It's an elixir and toxin in the same breath. This theme is carried throughout the work as Lane tours the role of oxygen in Earth history, biochemistry, and physiology. His case is that the “oxygen problem” has imprinted itself on everything from the composition of our atmosphere to the architecture of mitochondria and the vulnerabilities of human tissues. Again, this is largely an uncontroversial way of dramatizing the central role of oxygen in the metabolism of complex organisms.
As with Lane's other works, this book exhibits great erudition and demand quite a bit from a lay reader. He quickly sweeps across different fields or domains of thought, while working at a fairly high level of depth for a work of popular science. In this way, Lane is quite impressive, though in other his style is less clear than it could be. He also is prone to making some of the same error (e.g. misunderstandings of genetics and is sometimes a credulous reader of science outside of his expertise). These are small critique.
At the time, this work was truly pioneering in terms of dismantling the antioxidant-longevity thesis which is still somewhat popular among certain health communities. It is really worth reading and re-reading the section on antioxidants in this book to get a handle on what is and especially what isn't known about how redox stress is managed by the body and why ingesting antioxidant is highly unlikely to contribute to the management of redox stress in any meaningful way.
Lane' work is also notably concerned with aging/longevity, and he has some interesting things to say about it in this work. The commentary on aging is more nuanced than his discussion of aging in Transformer and Power, Sex, and Suicide. He position the mitochondria as central to the aging process but is more deferential to the idea that other processes beyond metabolic flux such as genomic informational quality are relevant as well. He entertains the idea about mitochondrial genome degradation that I really haven't seen much evidence for. The pool of mitochondria is a population and he doesn't explore this dynamic at all. Additionally, Lane broadening his theory of aging as a trade-off between between metabolic throughput and chemical stability lessens its predictive power relative to older and simpler theories about lifetime bioenergetic potential, programmed senescence, or some merger of the two (somatic mutation theory of aging), though its likely a better model.
Lane uncontroversially asserts is that oxygen is the deep driver of life’s major transitions and many of its pathologies: the rise of complex ecosystems, the constraints on animal body plans, the tempo of evolutionary innovations and mass extinctions, and our metabolism and aging. There are ways in which this narrative build complexity on top of many of the ideas that are taught in elementary school and later secondary school science classes; he's also quick to call attention to ways in which his - much more detailed narrative - deviates from textbook orthodoxies.
There are some paradoxical aspects to oxygen's biological roles. It is an indispensable electron acceptor (aka an oxidant), but its potency gives its an edge, making it liable to be as damaging as it is energizing. It's an elixir and toxin in the same breath. This theme is carried throughout the work as Lane tours the role of oxygen in Earth history, biochemistry, and physiology. His case is that the “oxygen problem” has imprinted itself on everything from the composition of our atmosphere to the architecture of mitochondria and the vulnerabilities of human tissues. Again, this is largely an uncontroversial way of dramatizing the central role of oxygen in the metabolism of complex organisms.
As with Lane's other works, this book exhibits great erudition and demand quite a bit from a lay reader. He quickly sweeps across different fields or domains of thought, while working at a fairly high level of depth for a work of popular science. In this way, Lane is quite impressive, though in other his style is less clear than it could be. He also is prone to making some of the same error (e.g. misunderstandings of genetics and is sometimes a credulous reader of science outside of his expertise). These are small critique.
At the time, this work was truly pioneering in terms of dismantling the antioxidant-longevity thesis which is still somewhat popular among certain health communities. It is really worth reading and re-reading the section on antioxidants in this book to get a handle on what is and especially what isn't known about how redox stress is managed by the body and why ingesting antioxidant is highly unlikely to contribute to the management of redox stress in any meaningful way.
Lane' work is also notably concerned with aging/longevity, and he has some interesting things to say about it in this work. The commentary on aging is more nuanced than his discussion of aging in Transformer and Power, Sex, and Suicide. He position the mitochondria as central to the aging process but is more deferential to the idea that other processes beyond metabolic flux such as genomic informational quality are relevant as well. He entertains the idea about mitochondrial genome degradation that I really haven't seen much evidence for. The pool of mitochondria is a population and he doesn't explore this dynamic at all. Additionally, Lane broadening his theory of aging as a trade-off between between metabolic throughput and chemical stability lessens its predictive power relative to older and simpler theories about lifetime bioenergetic potential, programmed senescence, or some merger of the two (somatic mutation theory of aging), though its likely a better model.
May 15, 2016
Nick Lane's exploration of the role of oxygen in the life of our planet is nothing if not comprehensive. It seems that he has left no stone unturned in his mission to tell the story of the remarkable way in which life harnessed oxygen, contained it, made use of it and out of this came more and more life. The extra-ordinary role of mitochondria in this epic story is also explored in meticulous detail.
At a certain point the focus shifts from life to senescence and asks is aging and death due to the ultimate failure of the mitochondria to "manage" oxygen in our bodies. At least I think that is the thrust of the last couple of chapters.
Interestingly Lane highlights research that suggests that longevity often correlates with having survived several childhood illnesses the effect of which is to effectively toughen up the body and therefore preventing autoimmune disease.... A summary could read perhaps: Much "illness" is our body going on overdrive against real or imagined enemies... Fighting real enemies enables the body to be able to tell the difference....
So much detail was packed into this book, which definitely requires quite a good level of biological and bio-chemical background knowledge to fully appreciate. I struggled at times to follow this explanation and that research but even though my science study days are long past I felt able to follow the gist of most of the information.
I must say that the natural history fascinated me and was quite mind blowing. The medical discussions and research I personally found less interesting but to anyone working in this field I would thoroughly recommend this book as Lane has pulled together so much diverse information and research and demonstrated the links between them. This element is so often absent in laboratories where research may be conducted for its own sake, or to promote a particular drug, with little joined up thinking.
Oxygen is the key to life on Earth in all its diversity. Well I guess that is something many high school students know, or have been taught. But Lane shows us how and why.
I began the book curious to know more about oxygen.
I ended in a state of awe about life itself.
At a certain point the focus shifts from life to senescence and asks is aging and death due to the ultimate failure of the mitochondria to "manage" oxygen in our bodies. At least I think that is the thrust of the last couple of chapters.
Interestingly Lane highlights research that suggests that longevity often correlates with having survived several childhood illnesses the effect of which is to effectively toughen up the body and therefore preventing autoimmune disease.... A summary could read perhaps: Much "illness" is our body going on overdrive against real or imagined enemies... Fighting real enemies enables the body to be able to tell the difference....
So much detail was packed into this book, which definitely requires quite a good level of biological and bio-chemical background knowledge to fully appreciate. I struggled at times to follow this explanation and that research but even though my science study days are long past I felt able to follow the gist of most of the information.
I must say that the natural history fascinated me and was quite mind blowing. The medical discussions and research I personally found less interesting but to anyone working in this field I would thoroughly recommend this book as Lane has pulled together so much diverse information and research and demonstrated the links between them. This element is so often absent in laboratories where research may be conducted for its own sake, or to promote a particular drug, with little joined up thinking.
Oxygen is the key to life on Earth in all its diversity. Well I guess that is something many high school students know, or have been taught. But Lane shows us how and why.
I began the book curious to know more about oxygen.
I ended in a state of awe about life itself.
September 5, 2017
Nick Lane is courageous enough to draw conclusions about the vital role of oxygen, both in the emergence of life and in aging. Many science writers duck this challenge, Lane does not and his book is the better for it. His affection for this element is marvelous; if asked to differentiate Star Trek from Star Wars it would not surprise readers of this book to hear that oxygen played a part!
"if water is the foundation of life, and oxygen is its engine. Without oxygen, life on earth would never have got beyond a slime in the oceans, and the earth would probably have ended its days in the stability of Mars or Venus."
He begins his comprehensive account at the earliest formation of Earth and the anaerobic microbes that were the true and only pioneers, the sole instance of emergent life. Long thought to have had no process for dealing with oxygen, then a trace element, Lane sides with those who challenge the prevailing wisdom that life evolved in an ascending path of increasing complexity, especially in regard to the biggest threat posed by oxygen, the production of free radicals. He explores the fascinating science surrounding LUCA, the Last Universal Common Ancestor. Through analysis of the ubiquitous ancient Hox genes,
"We now realize that many simple single-celled organisms, which we once thought were relics from a primitive age that had never evolved a complex lifestyle, have instead lost their ancient sophistication."
The idea that life is continually adaptive to prevailing levels of oxygen by in turns increasing and decreasing physical size and metabolic complexity is a central idea of this book.
The second half of the book takes on the biology of the human body and it's aging process as affected by oxygen. Here again Lane is unafraid to take a position and even advances his own theory which he refers to as the "double-agent" theory:
"infectious disease cause a rise in oxidative stress, which is largely responsible for coordinating our genetic response the infection. As we age mitochondrial respiration also causes a rise in oxidative stress, which activates essentially the same genes through a common mechanism that involves transcription factors like NFkB."
His conclusion is that we need to focus our attention on delaying the aging process, not on our current focus of gene editing. Genes are too complex in that many code for protection in reproductive years then become harmful in old age so editing them is much less effective than delaying the aging process thereby extending life by delaying the harmful effects these genes cause. He sees the aging process not in terms of years but rather in terms of the accumulation of oxidative stress.
I found the level of detailed scientific discussion challenging, and that's what I was hoping for!
"if water is the foundation of life, and oxygen is its engine. Without oxygen, life on earth would never have got beyond a slime in the oceans, and the earth would probably have ended its days in the stability of Mars or Venus."
He begins his comprehensive account at the earliest formation of Earth and the anaerobic microbes that were the true and only pioneers, the sole instance of emergent life. Long thought to have had no process for dealing with oxygen, then a trace element, Lane sides with those who challenge the prevailing wisdom that life evolved in an ascending path of increasing complexity, especially in regard to the biggest threat posed by oxygen, the production of free radicals. He explores the fascinating science surrounding LUCA, the Last Universal Common Ancestor. Through analysis of the ubiquitous ancient Hox genes,
"We now realize that many simple single-celled organisms, which we once thought were relics from a primitive age that had never evolved a complex lifestyle, have instead lost their ancient sophistication."
The idea that life is continually adaptive to prevailing levels of oxygen by in turns increasing and decreasing physical size and metabolic complexity is a central idea of this book.
The second half of the book takes on the biology of the human body and it's aging process as affected by oxygen. Here again Lane is unafraid to take a position and even advances his own theory which he refers to as the "double-agent" theory:
"infectious disease cause a rise in oxidative stress, which is largely responsible for coordinating our genetic response the infection. As we age mitochondrial respiration also causes a rise in oxidative stress, which activates essentially the same genes through a common mechanism that involves transcription factors like NFkB."
His conclusion is that we need to focus our attention on delaying the aging process, not on our current focus of gene editing. Genes are too complex in that many code for protection in reproductive years then become harmful in old age so editing them is much less effective than delaying the aging process thereby extending life by delaying the harmful effects these genes cause. He sees the aging process not in terms of years but rather in terms of the accumulation of oxidative stress.
I found the level of detailed scientific discussion challenging, and that's what I was hoping for!
November 21, 2016
I’ve tried twice to read this in full, and found that though at the beginning it’s engaging and interesting, the sheer level of detail starts to wear on me. This time, I was well served by having the first year of a BSc behind me: it’s easier to understand what the by-products of photosynthesis are when you have a good grasp of how photosynthesis works, and why it generates highly reactive intermediates. Despite Lane’s aim at the general reader, then, perhaps it’s worth noting that at least some knowledge of chemistry is very helpful in understanding what Lane is saying.
The problem with his theories is that he includes so much speculative material, and when I went looking for some corroboration, this review in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine is pretty damning:
"These are generalities, and the identification of more specific points of reservations and disagreement in the text will depend on the particular interests and expertise of the individual reader. Various statements that are questionable, perverse or just wrong will be picked up by medical readers."
And indeed, I have to admit that despite my lack of specialist knowledge, on the topic of genetics I could see some flaws. It’s well enough known now, I think, that so-called “junk DNA” is in large part no such thing; damage by radiation to any part of the DNA can be damaging (though “junk” may not be involved in that point in an organism’s lifecycle, may have repetitions which ameliorate the effect of the damage, etc). I know this book is from 2002, and that view of “junk DNA” is relatively new (enough that Nessa Carey’s book on it wasn’t unnecessary!), so perhaps I shouldn’t judge too harshly. But it’s definitely shaky ground, and if I can see that as a layman, I don’t know how much to trust in his expertise in other areas (though it’s worth noting he is a biochemist).
The subject is interesting; Nick Lane’s introduction to it piques the interest. But I don’t think he follows through on his promises, and if you do read it, I would do so with caution.
Originally posted here.
The problem with his theories is that he includes so much speculative material, and when I went looking for some corroboration, this review in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine is pretty damning:
"These are generalities, and the identification of more specific points of reservations and disagreement in the text will depend on the particular interests and expertise of the individual reader. Various statements that are questionable, perverse or just wrong will be picked up by medical readers."
And indeed, I have to admit that despite my lack of specialist knowledge, on the topic of genetics I could see some flaws. It’s well enough known now, I think, that so-called “junk DNA” is in large part no such thing; damage by radiation to any part of the DNA can be damaging (though “junk” may not be involved in that point in an organism’s lifecycle, may have repetitions which ameliorate the effect of the damage, etc). I know this book is from 2002, and that view of “junk DNA” is relatively new (enough that Nessa Carey’s book on it wasn’t unnecessary!), so perhaps I shouldn’t judge too harshly. But it’s definitely shaky ground, and if I can see that as a layman, I don’t know how much to trust in his expertise in other areas (though it’s worth noting he is a biochemist).
The subject is interesting; Nick Lane’s introduction to it piques the interest. But I don’t think he follows through on his promises, and if you do read it, I would do so with caution.
Originally posted here.
February 23, 2023
While I didn't particularly enjoy this read (it's a book about chemistry, let's be honest), I can't help appreciating it for what it is. I wanted a book about Oxygen and that is exactly what Nick Lane delivered. A full comprehensive analysis of almost everything you could wish to know about the surprisingly busy chemical that is oxygen.
This book isn't afraid to get into detail about some of the most intricate systems in our bodies. All without getting too overbearing and while being beautifully narrated with Lane's charm and ambition. I knew that oxygen is a big deal but I didn't expect it to have such a massive effect on so many different aspects of life, death and the world we live in.
This book is definitely not for everyone. But for what it is -a book about oxygen, it achives exactly what it sets out to do. So I can't complain. 5 stars.
This book isn't afraid to get into detail about some of the most intricate systems in our bodies. All without getting too overbearing and while being beautifully narrated with Lane's charm and ambition. I knew that oxygen is a big deal but I didn't expect it to have such a massive effect on so many different aspects of life, death and the world we live in.
This book is definitely not for everyone. But for what it is -a book about oxygen, it achives exactly what it sets out to do. So I can't complain. 5 stars.
Want to read
August 28, 2019"Our house is burning. Literally. The Amazon rain forest - the lungs which produces 20% of our planet’s oxygen - is on fire. It is an international crisis. Members of the G7 Summit, let's discuss this emergency first order in two days! "
MACRON WAS WRONG...
"The Amazon is a vast ineffable, vital, living wonder. It does not, however, supply the planet with 20 percent of its oxygen. (...)
The Amazon produces about 6 percent of the oxygen currently being made by photosynthetic organisms alive on the planet today."
In: https://amp.theatlantic.com/amp/artic...
MACRON WAS WRONG...
"The Amazon is a vast ineffable, vital, living wonder. It does not, however, supply the planet with 20 percent of its oxygen. (...)
The Amazon produces about 6 percent of the oxygen currently being made by photosynthetic organisms alive on the planet today."
In: https://amp.theatlantic.com/amp/artic...
September 18, 2024
Fascinating work that manages to convey the material without getting bogged down in the jargon. Definitely worth the read.
April 28, 2024
We need oxygen to live, yet it eventually and inevitably kills us. I had no idea. If you really want to understand life on Earth or why everyone gets old, you really should drop whatever you're reading now and check this out.
June 19, 2021
Sauerstoff. Die Grundlage des menschlichen Lebens aber auch der vieler Lebewesen, die mit der Erhöhung der Konzentration in der Atmosphäre sich den Lebensbedingungen anpassen konnten.
Nick Lanes Buch ist großartig. Er erklärt warum purer Sauerstoff toxisch für den Körper ist und wie reaktiv sie mit anderen Stoffen ist.
Er geht auf Fragen der Mortalität ein. Warum sterben Zellen? Was ist das Hayflick Limit?
Warum hat Sauerstoff größere Lebewesen verursacht? Gibt es ein Limit wie oft der Körper Sauerstoff durch den Körper jagen kann.
Das Buch ist sehr spannend. Sprachlich ausgezeichnet. Keine unnötigen Erklärungen oder wiederholende Inhalte! Sehr viel gelernt.
Nick Lanes Buch ist großartig. Er erklärt warum purer Sauerstoff toxisch für den Körper ist und wie reaktiv sie mit anderen Stoffen ist.
Er geht auf Fragen der Mortalität ein. Warum sterben Zellen? Was ist das Hayflick Limit?
Warum hat Sauerstoff größere Lebewesen verursacht? Gibt es ein Limit wie oft der Körper Sauerstoff durch den Körper jagen kann.
Das Buch ist sehr spannend. Sprachlich ausgezeichnet. Keine unnötigen Erklärungen oder wiederholende Inhalte! Sehr viel gelernt.
September 15, 2023
This book reminded me of the time when I was so into Chemistry!
July 23, 2021
This was perhaps the most challenging popular science book I’ve ever read. It has been claimed that you can’t write popular science about biochemistry. And I’m not certain this book refuted the claim. It is at parts very difficult to understand for a layman. But the grand narrative does translate, and it is magnificent.
This book writes the early single cell prehistory of life on earth. It explains why we are mortal and age. It makes you understand how and why sexes and sex evolved. It makes you understand why your body, and thus you in your whole self, just is a temporary vessel for life to continue evolving. And those realizations merits five stars, though the work to read it at times seemed Sisyphean.
So if you have some prior knowledge on the topics this is a very rewarding book. Now I must read more to know how the knowledge, especially in regards to the theories of aging, has developed in recent years since this book was written.
This book writes the early single cell prehistory of life on earth. It explains why we are mortal and age. It makes you understand how and why sexes and sex evolved. It makes you understand why your body, and thus you in your whole self, just is a temporary vessel for life to continue evolving. And those realizations merits five stars, though the work to read it at times seemed Sisyphean.
So if you have some prior knowledge on the topics this is a very rewarding book. Now I must read more to know how the knowledge, especially in regards to the theories of aging, has developed in recent years since this book was written.
July 31, 2015
This is my first book by Nick Lane, and I liked it. Obviously, it concerns oxygen and its effect on everything on earth, and how it started life as we know it on our planet. Lane combines engineering, organic and inorganic chemistry with evolutionary studies, paleontology, and research medicine, to explain the world. He also deals with the recent research on free radicals and their effect on health and on the phenomena of aging and of immortality. This is the part of the book I found most interesting, what he writes of diseases and their impact, particularly Alzheimer's and diabetes. Nevertheless, a lot of what he writes are theories with which I do not agree. I do like his style of writing and look forward to reading other books he has written.
October 5, 2018
Author provides a great overview of research in various fields:
- biochemistry: enzymatic reactions, photosynthesis
- geology: chemical reactions in the presence of early Earth, sedimentations ...
- biomedical research: ageing, cancer, Alzheimer's ...
The breath of details sometimes is overwhelming. Author also tends to go to the speculative side of science ... While a large proportion of the book discusses well-grounded research, some of Nick Lane's big ideas don't have solid proof (yet).
It's a story of life on Earth - how/when did it evolve, what were the main evolutionary drives.
It's a story of our lives - why senescence even evolved, how is it linked to sex and food.
- biochemistry: enzymatic reactions, photosynthesis
- geology: chemical reactions in the presence of early Earth, sedimentations ...
- biomedical research: ageing, cancer, Alzheimer's ...
The breath of details sometimes is overwhelming. Author also tends to go to the speculative side of science ... While a large proportion of the book discusses well-grounded research, some of Nick Lane's big ideas don't have solid proof (yet).
It's a story of life on Earth - how/when did it evolve, what were the main evolutionary drives.
It's a story of our lives - why senescence even evolved, how is it linked to sex and food.
January 25, 2016
Origins of Oxygen
- earth's early atmosphere seems to have been mostly nitrogen from volcanic action
- oxygen was initially formed by the breakdown of water by UV rays; however much of this reacted with iron, locking it up, while the hydrogen escaped earth
- over billions of years, this process cost Mars and Venus their atmospheres
- photosynthesis produced oxygen in sufficient quantity that it overwhelmed the iron, allowing oxygen to accumulate
- the oxygen also reacted with the free hydrogen, preserving the water
Three Billion Years of Microbial Evolution
- evidence of life has been found as early as 3.85 bya; evidence of eukaryote life (steranes) has been found from 2.7 bya
- by 2.2 bya, oxygen levels started to rise, reaching 5-18 % of current levels
- however, no complex life developed
- earth went into a snowball condition about 750 mya
- at 540 mya, the Cambrian explosion of complex life forms occurred
Oxygen and the Rise of the Giants
- earth's oxygen level climbed to 35 % during the Carboniferous period, allowing the development of giant arthropods
- the oxygen level dropped to about 15 % at the end of the Permian, possibly due to massive firestorms enabled by the high oxygen levels
Oxygen Poisoning
- respiration generates free radicals as intermediates between oxygen and water - hydroxyl radicals, hydrogen peroxide and superoxide radicals
- free radicals, radiation, heat, toxins and other forms of stress damage DNA
- life has developed a number of mechanisms for disposing of the free radicals before they damage the DNA, and for repairing damaged DNA
Radiation and the Evolution of Photosynthesis
- it is likely that these defences developed early on (4 bya), largely in response to radiation
- photosynthesis combines CO2 and water to form sugars and oxygen - the oxygen comes from the water, not the CO2
- plants absorb red light for photosynthesis, causing them to appear green
- earth's early atmosphere contained significant concentrations of the oxidant hydrogen peroxide
- it appears that the antioxidant catalase evolved in shallow water bacteria in response to the hydrogen peroxide
- in a further step, a number of catalase molecules formed around the H2S based photosynthetic apparatus and with a few small changes became capable of absorbing higher energy photons and splitting water
- it appears that catalase only evolved once
Last Ancestor in an Age Before Oxygen
- a Last Universal Common Ancestor is apparent due to the common basis for all DNA and the use of only right-handed molecules
- the archaea split from the bacteria 3.8-4 bya
- the eukaryotes split from the archaea 2.5-3 bya
- eukaryotes acquired mitochondria and chloroplasts around 2 bya, by engulfing bacteria
- bacteria and archaea share 16 genes for respiration, suggesting that respiration evolved before the split
- initially, UV radiation generated hydrogen peroxide and the respiratory mechanisms evolved to utilized it; these later evolved to process oxygen
Vitamin C
- the various chemical reactions of vitamin C in the body are described
Living with Oxygen
- the complexity of the anti-oxidant processes in the body are investigated
- the benefits of fruit and vegetables have not been duplicated by taking anti-oxidant supplements
- it is possible that mild toxins in fruit stimulate the production of stress proteins
Trade-off's in the Evolution of Ageing
- the cause of ageing seems to have elements of programmed cell death and of the accumulation of wear and tear over the lifetime (stochastic theories)
- as bacteria do not age, it seems the ageing has evolved suggesting that it confers some evolutionary advantage
- the disposable soma theory states that the body lasts only long enough to carry out reproduction - longer life only consumes resources that may be in short supply
- this is substantiated by the inverse relationship between lifespan and fecundity over the various animal species
- an increase in lifespan decreases fecundity - caloric restriction in humans does so - animals living in protected situations have longer lifespans but produce fewer offspring
The Triangle of Food, Sex and Longevity
- there appears to be a distinction between ageing and age-related disease: some centenarians die of muscle wastage rather than disease
- a number of gerontogenes which can double or triple the lifespans of simple animals have been discovered
- insulin controls the triangle of nutrition, reproduction and longevity
- high blood glucose stimulates insulin and insulin-like growth factors (IGF's) which gears up the body for reproduction, throwing longevity to the wind
- mutation of daf-2 confers insulin resistance, thus extending life
- peoples that have historically lived with starvation have the thrifty genotype, which features a resistance to insulin - however, a high carbohydrate diet imposed on insulin resistance causes a loss of control of insulin levels leading to type 2 diabetes
- the introduction of farming with a regular supply of milk may have caused Europeans to lose the thrifty genotype and insulin resistance
Rate of Living and the Need for Sexes
- the rate of living idea is live fast, die young
- While animals appear to have a lifetime number of heartbeats, perhaps more significantly they have appear to have a lifetime energy potential of 60,000 litres of oxygen per kilogram
- some animals exceed this number significantly: bats live 20 years, while mice live 3 years; pigeons live 35 years compared to rats at 4 years
- the long living animals have been shown to produce fewer free radicals: pigeon mitochondria produce 10% the free radicals, compared to rats
- there are good grounds for thinking that improving resistance to oxidative stress will slow ageing in animals
- caloric restriction does not slow the metabolism, but increases stress resistance and lowers insulin levels, shifting the body away from sex and towards bodily maintenance
- the rate of ageing is determined by the level of resources committed to prevention and repair
- oxidative stress is particularly prevalent in mitochondria - the lifetime of a cell depends on the activity of it's mitochondria - cell lifetime varies with the number of mitochondria present
- as to sex, the eggs are produced early in life and the mitochondria switched off, minimizing oxidative stress; sperm are produced continuously with active mitochondria for movement; at union, the damaged mitochondria from the sperm are scrapped, leaving the offspring with undamaged mitochondria
- therefore, breathing oxygen is linked with both ageing and the origins of gender
- the maximum human lifespan of 115 to 120 years is close to the mitochondrial burn-out in long lived neurons, heart and skeletal cells
The Double-Agent Theory of Ageing and Disease
- infection produces oxidative stress, triggering the immune system and inflammation
- in age, the mitochondria leak free radicals increasing the level of oxidative stress, eventually leading to chronic low level infection
- the rise in oxidative stress causes changes in gene expression
- Alzheimer's disease seems to be brought on by increasing oxidative stress in the brain
- factors that lower oxidative stress, such as aspirin and vitamin A, can postpone dementia by a few years and maybe indefinitely
- smoking and high blood glucose increase oxidative stress
- a third of cancers (more in the developing world) are brought on by infection - hepatitis, etc.
Lessons From Evolution on the Future of Ageing
- which came first, the chicken or the egg? bacteria acquire traits that are passed to their offspring (chicken first) while in sexual species the genetic change occurs at fertilization (egg first)
- antioxidants have been proposed as a cure for ageing, but experimental evidence has provided no support
- great 3 page summary of the evolution of life on page 318
- oxidative stress is a signalling mechanism that underpins the cell's genetic response to injury
- malaria infections in youth appear to result in suppression of the immune system - while this results in fewer autoimmune diseases in later life, it also opens the door to severe infections such as tuberculosis
- there is rising support for the idea that we need regular infections for the immune system to develop properly: the rising incidence of autoimmune diseases is instructive
- evidence that those that suffer many infections in youth leads to immunosuppression making disease in later years less frequent
- in the future, we may learn to modulate the immune system, thus improving health in old age
- can humans develop more efficient mitochondria like the birds? some Japanese have a gene for a more efficient mitochondria
- exercise benefits mitochondria as it stimulates the replication of the viable stock
- mental activity may do the same; there is evidence that it helps protect against Alzheimer's disease
June 7, 2023
An excellent popular biochemistry book, that despite its 20 years of age, still holds relevance today. In essence, this book encompasses three aspects that are connected by the overarching theme of oxygen. First, Lane traces back the evolution of atmospheric molecular oxygen. He leads the reader through geological debates and tries to provide compelling evidence from various research strands to pinpoint the beginning of atmospheric oxygen accumulation. Importantly, he connects it to the origin of (multi-)cellular life and argues that LUCA, the last universal common ancestor, possessed the ability to generate energy from oxygen before (!) oxygen was massively produced by photosynthesis. By presenting the key enzymes that utilize oxygen in cells, he builds a bridge to the second part: the ambiguous role of oxygen as both necessary and damaging to aerobically respiring organisms. Lane writes extensively about antioxidants and broadens our understanding that antioxidant defense is much more than vitamin C. Additionally, the underlying complexity evades simple characterizations as “good” or “bad” for our health. In the case of vitamin C, he emphasizes the plethora of tasks that it carries out in metabolism, as well as its negative effects. The third part delves into the nature of aging and sex, a direct consequence of our evolution in response to oxygen. However, by citing a lot of studies in the field of aging, he loses some touch with the main topic of this book. Eventually, he presents his own theory in which he argues that aging is the effect of mitochondria slowly increasingly leaking reactive oxygen species, which signals the cell to activate stress-inducing mechanisms, similar to pathogenic infection.
His writing is exemplary of good science writing. He continuously cites recent primary research and interprets the main findings in an engaging and simple way. Furthermore, he builds an overall narrative (the central role of oxygen) which leaves out some aspects at times but sets the stage to synthesize scientific knowledge from many different fields. Although a lot of research has been done in the past 20 years, the main messages of this book still hold some truth. As such, it provides an exciting account of biochemistry as a vibrant scientific field with widespread implications for our present and future lives. Furthermore, his writing style is a great source of inspiration for me, hoping to learn from it for future replication 😉
His writing is exemplary of good science writing. He continuously cites recent primary research and interprets the main findings in an engaging and simple way. Furthermore, he builds an overall narrative (the central role of oxygen) which leaves out some aspects at times but sets the stage to synthesize scientific knowledge from many different fields. Although a lot of research has been done in the past 20 years, the main messages of this book still hold some truth. As such, it provides an exciting account of biochemistry as a vibrant scientific field with widespread implications for our present and future lives. Furthermore, his writing style is a great source of inspiration for me, hoping to learn from it for future replication 😉
July 29, 2018
This is something of a tour de force. It synthesizes many areas of science to describe the role of oxygen in the history of our planet, life on the planet and ageing and age-related diseases. Indeed, the latter comes as something of a surprise, since Lane seems to synthesize a new theory of ageing and age-related diseases, which you wouldn't expect in a popular science book.
However, it's not quite a popular science book. It has not just scope but also a depth (especially in the chemistry) hat was often beyond me. Even so, each chapter is well enough written that, even if the entirety of the science is not intelligible, the thrust of the chapter is still very clear.
However, it's not quite a popular science book. It has not just scope but also a depth (especially in the chemistry) hat was often beyond me. Even so, each chapter is well enough written that, even if the entirety of the science is not intelligible, the thrust of the chapter is still very clear.
February 2, 2023
Enjoyed this book but in small chunks. I’m far from a genius but I do have a science degree and still I found this heavy reading. I really enjoy the additional effort made to understand the characters behind some of the discoveries and how their propositions more often than not contradicted what was the accepted science of the time.
Definitely worth a read if you’re excited by science but personally I don’t think it’s accessible to everyone, the subject matter is necessarily complex!
Definitely worth a read if you’re excited by science but personally I don’t think it’s accessible to everyone, the subject matter is necessarily complex!
October 29, 2023
It is about Oxygen but also a lot more about biology and how things are far more complex than we are led to believe, even by experts.
More technical than I thought it would be.
Terrific set of ideas - highly recommended reading for those interested in this subject area. It is a long and sometimes technical book. I had never read so much about proteins!!
More technical than I thought it would be.
Terrific set of ideas - highly recommended reading for those interested in this subject area. It is a long and sometimes technical book. I had never read so much about proteins!!
December 29, 2024
I am a huge fan of Nick Lane and this is top 3 for me of his books. The never waning will of oxygen and its attempts to steal electrons from all of our atoms and drive metabolic reactions - inspiring! Has me thinking how much of our cellular mechanisms are to prevent oxygen from stealing electrons?
September 12, 2020
Biogeochemistry, giant dragonflies, radiation poisoning, the origin of sexes, a theory of aging... What a ride! This book is popular science at its best!
October 24, 2024
Can get a bit heavy in places but the evolutionary link between Oxygen and aging is worth understanding.
February 25, 2022
it was a fine book not huge for me also I did not understand much of this book which was hard for me.
I got some ideas of key role that oxygen plays in nature
I've read it's Blinkist version.
I got some ideas of key role that oxygen plays in nature
I've read it's Blinkist version.
April 8, 2023
Backed by copious amounts of solid science, the subject is thoroughly fleshed out drawing on data from many scientific disciplines. Only downside is the author’s rather tepid writing style.
January 5, 2020
Oxygen has had extraordinary effects on life. Three hundred million years ago, in Carboniferous times, dragonflies grew as big as seagulls, with wingspans of nearly a metre. Researchers claim they could have flown only if the air had contained more oxygen than today - probably as much as 35 per cent. Giant spiders, tree-ferns, marine rock formations and fossil charcoals all tell the same story. High oxygen levels may also explain the global firestorm that contributed to the demise of the dinosaurs after the asteroid impact. The strange and profound effects that oxygen has had on the evolution of life pose a riddle, which this book sets out to answer. Oxygen is a toxic gas. Divers breathing pure oxygen at depth suffer from convulsions and lung injury. Fruit flies raised at twice normal atmospheric levels of oxygen live half as long as their siblings. Reactive forms of oxygen, known as free radicals, are thought to cause ageing in people. Yet if atmospheric oxygen reached 35 per cent in the Carboniferous, why did it promote exuberant growth, instead of rapid ageing and death? Oxygen takes the reader on an enthralling journey, as gripping as a thriller, as it unravels the unexpected ways in which oxygen spurred the evolution of life and death. The book explains far more than the size of ancient insects: it 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 ageing 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.
March 6, 2016
This is the best popular science book that I have read in years. The first half covers the role of oxygen in the evolution of life, including how and when the oxygen content of the atmosphere evolved from virtually zero concentration to the present 21% by volume. The most fascinating part of this account is the resolution of the apparent paradox of how life on Earth coped with photosynthetic cyanobacteria "inventing" a form of chlorophyll which created a toxic waste product : Oxygen. The resolution of this "paradox" lies in the fact that Oxygen creates free radicals in living organisms in a chain of reactions four long with Oxygen at one end and water at the other; the amazing fact is that the reverse of this chain of reactions (from water to Oxygen) can be initiated by ionising radiation, so that the toxic effects of radiation poisoning and "Oxygen poisoning" are virtually identical. The earliest forms of life in the surface layers of the ocean were exposed to UV radiation because the lack of Oxygen (and hence ozone) in the atmosphere meant that it could reach the Earth's surface. Consequently, life evolved defences that could soak up the free radicals produced by ionising radiation, and so, when cyanobacteria invented a form of photosynthesis that yielded Oxygen as a waste product, they had the defences in place to cope with this toxic waste. The accounts of this are absolutely fascinating, and eye-opening at the same time. The second half of this excellent book deals with the role of Oxygen in many killer diseases and why we age. Read this brilliant book; you won't regret it.
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