THE VITAL QUESTION

It is a book that gives a new perspective to the question of the origin of life. Though technical for me (as I do not know much about bio-chemistry/bio-physics), I enjoyed reading the points/counterpoints to different theories about the origin of life.

Prerequisites for reading: basic understanding of cell biology and a bit of chemistry. Some familiarity with thermodynamics helps.Things I loved about this book:- Careful chains of reasoning from first principles of physics and thermodynamics, which is rare in biology, supported by numerous real-world examples and ingenious observations, without resorting to blanket pronouncements of truth. Nick Lane seems to be acutely aware of human failings and himself says his theories and ideas may not be correct.- Specific, testable predictions on the basis of the theories.- Frank admittance of mistakes committed, theories proven wrong, and the fact that they will continue to be. Like he says, beautiful theories can get killed by ugly facts. The facts care nothing for our desires.I found myself highlighting several paragraphs every chapter (which I rarely do -- other books in my "copious highlights" category include On Intelligence and Thinking, Fast and Slow)What I didn't like about this book:- Reasoning in every chapter is repeated several times and got somewhat boring towards the end. However this is a minor quibble and often saved me the greater tedium of going back to re-read the material. Sometimes the subtle re-phrasing of an explanation even helped me grasp the logic.- Some unfamiliar technical terms weren't explicitly explained (even though I'd heard the word "germline" I didn't know what it meant -- had to look it up).All considered, this is an excellent popular science book. In my mind it's right up there with The Selfish Gene, albeit it requires more beforehand knowledge. Don't miss it!

This is a beautiful book. The writer is completely honest when he tries to explain the origins of life, In certain areas where the results are not certain he mentions that more work is needed and doesn't try to sell his ideas. This books connects a lot of origin stories about death, sex, ageing and the patterns related to each story. Definitely a must read for people going through existential crisis.Warning: One should have some basic fundamental knowledge about chemistry and biology (the ones that they teach you in school) to get a deeper understanding of the things. But the writer puts enough effort to explain things that need beginners knowledge.

Much of the book is a conjecture, but a highly plausible one. If you are looking for definitive answers, then you won't find it here. But if you are looking for plausible explanations, there are plenty. Why does inter-species breeding not work, why isolated populations eventually break off into separate species, why anti-oxidants don't prolong life or prevent cancer (while exercise does), why pigeons have a life span upto 10 times longer than rats with similar weight and metabolism, the broad sweep of the book explains all of these questions. Again, there is no clear evidence, but the possibilities are intriguing.A great read if you are willing to be challenged and not let your existing ideas get in the way of enjoying the book (it is quite incompatible with my current habit of taking about 30 different antioxidants a day). If you are a creationist, or are too fixed in your ways, don't bother reading it. Most likely you will be boiling mad a few pages into it. It IS Darwinian, and has no role for God.Finally, it is written like a thriller (though doesn't lose its scientific bearings at any point of time). Reads so well that it is hard to put it down after you pick it up.Five stars all the way.

Very insightful take on origins of life. While the core theory is just a theory it is presented very well. If you have a good grasp on thermodynamics and biology this should be a very interesting read. Author has graciously included lots of references and notes in the bibliography section. This is a good science book.

A tad too technical for my taste. The author could have simplified the text to make it more enjoyable for someone like me who last had a tryst with biology in class 10th.

Rich information, lucidly presented, explaining the crux of biological life from origin to evolution to disease and death through the lens of beautiful chemistry...

Have started reading it . Little technical but very interesting for those who are seeking answers to questions regarding Origin of life and evolution.

This is a beautifully crafted book with clear descriptions of the fundamental development of life on earth. It requires a certain grounding of chemistry to derive the most benefit or perhaps to keep the momentum required for enjoyment.Perfect for cementing the understanding of quite involved biochemical concepts that one never quite bedded in. The ubiquity of redox chemistry is an enthralling topic that certainly wasn’t available when I was at school. I wonder if virtual reality animation is employed to teach this really fundamental science and, if not, why not?!

Fica a advertência, trata-se de uma leitura bem díficil para quem não tem uma boa noção de biologia e bioquímica.

En un solo libro, Nick Lane toca todos los temas relevantes sobre el origen de la vida tal y como la conocemos, desde la emergencia del primer proto-metabolismo y las primeras proto-células, el origen de las células procariotas, y el origen de las células eucariotas 2000 millones de años después. Además, éste libro es especialmente valioso porque su primera parte se centra en la hipótesis del origen de la vida en chimeneas hidrotermales, que aun siendo perfectamente plausible es bastante desconocida por el gran público e incluso por muchos investigadores, que se siguen centrando en la muchísimo más simplista hipótesis de la "sopa prebiótica".El libro es perfectamente accesible para cualquiera con conocimientos básicos de ciencias y/o algo de interés por el tema, pero a la vez contiene tanta información, tan bien presentada y con tantas referencias que bien podría ser un libro de texto de asignatura de grado o máster. Recomendable para estudiantes de ciencias de cualquier rama interesados en este campo, e incluso investigadores que quieran tener una visión de conjunto de este campo sin necesidad de leerse decenas de artículos.

Ho letto altri due libri su questo tema affascinante, è cioè "The Emergence of Life" e "Origins: The Scientific Story of Creation", ma questo mi sembra assolutamente quello più centrato, molto ma molto interessante, ed è anche aggiornato ed esauriente. Un volume eccezionale per certi versi, anche se certamente non facile e non sempre accessibile, un po' da studiare per così dire. È un po' una via di mezzo fra un testo divulgativo e uno per esperti e quindi bisogna seguirlo davvero con molta attenzione. Rimane però un libro che mi ha molto colpito.

The quest to understand the origin of life must be one of the most meaningful endeavors that humanity can embark on. And Nick Lane is the writer that has inspired me most on this path. You DON'T need to be a micro-biologist as some reviewers seem to suggest - a basic high school understanding of organic chemistry will do ... and a willingness to learn of course.This to me is the most inspiring book I've read in years. Nick Lane continuously restates biological concepts, as good teachers tend to do. Nick Lane also has a fantastic prose, making this book easy to read. I bought this on kindle as I like to be able to highlight sections - but soon found myself highlighting half the book, including lesser-used words he weaves in here and there, helping me improving my English grammar as a bonus. This book is a real treasure!