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The Vital Question MP3 CD – Unabridged, March 15, 2016

4.6 out of 5 stars 1,717 ratings

To explain the mystery of how life evolved on Earth, Nick Lane explores the deep link between energy and genes.

The Earth teems with life: in its oceans, forests, skies, and cities. Yet there's a black hole at the heart of biology. We do not know why complex life is the way it is or, for that matter, how life first began. In The Vital Question, award-winning author and biochemist Nick Lane radically reframes evolutionary history, putting forward a solution to conundrums that have puzzled generations of scientists.

For two and a half billion years, from the very origins of life, single-celled organisms such as bacteria evolved without changing their basic forms. Then, on just one occasion in four billion years, they made the jump to complexity. All complex life, from mushrooms to man, shares puzzling features, such as sex, which are unknown in bacteria. How and why did this radical transformation happen? The answer, Lane argues, lies in energy: All life on Earth lives off a voltage with the strength of a lightning bolt.

Building on the pillars of evolutionary theory, Lane's hypothesis draws on cutting-edge research into the link between energy and cell biology in order to deliver a compelling account of evolution from the very origins of life to the emergence of multicellular organisms while offering deep insights into our own lives and deaths.

Both rigorous and enchanting, The Vital Question provides a solution to life's vital question: Why are we as we are, and indeed, why are we here at all?

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About the Author

Nick Lane is a British biochemist and writer. He is a professor in evolutionary biochemistry at University College London. He has published four books which have won several awards.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Audible Studios on Brilliance Audio
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 15, 2016
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ Unabridged
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1511366540
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1511366540
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.75 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 1,717 ratings

About the author

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Nick Lane
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Nick Lane is a biochemist and writer. He is Professor of Evolutionary Biochemistry in the Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment at University College London. "Like his forebears in that same department -- Steve Jones, JBS Haldane -- he's that rare species, a scientist who can illuminate the bewildering complexities of biology with clear, luminous words" (The Observer). His research focuses on the role of bioenergetics in the origin of life and the evolution of cells. Nick was awarded the first UCL Provost's Venture Research Prize in 2009 and the 2015 Biochemical Society Award. He has published four critically acclaimed books, which have been translated into 25 languages. Life Ascending won the 2010 Royal Society Prize for Science Books. His books have been shortlisted for two other literary prizes and named a book of the year by the Economist, Independent, Times, Sunday Times, Nature and New Scientist. The Independent described him as "one of the most exciting science writers of our time." In 2016 he was awarded the Royal Society Michael Faraday Prize for excellence in communicating science. For more information, visit www.nick-lane.net

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4.6 out of 5 stars
1,717 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book extremely well written and fascinating, providing a brilliant description of the origins of life and offering a great reminder of fundamental mysteries. They appreciate its depth, with one customer noting it covers material in detail, and value the author's approach, with one describing them as a biologist who thinks like an engineer. The book explores the relationship between energy and evolution, with one review highlighting how energy shapes and constrains evolutionary processes, while another discusses the unlikely emergence of eukaryotes. The writing quality receives mixed feedback.

117 customers mention "Insight"111 positive6 negative

Customers find the book provides a fascinating overview of the origins of life, serving as a great reminder of fundamental mysteries.

"...I think this is one of those landmark books that offer very plausible hypotheses for the vital questions concerning evolution, and the origins of..." Read more

"...covers three inter-related topics: the origin of life, the origin of complex organisms (eukaryotes), and the consequences of having a dual system of..." Read more

"This book describes a partial theory of how life initially evolved, followed by a more detailed theory of how eukaryotes evolved...." Read more

"...The book is divided into four main sections: The Problem, The Origins of Life, Complexity, and Predictions...." Read more

20 customers mention "Value for money"20 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well worth the effort.

"...more challenging books I have attempted in recent years, but well worth the journey...." Read more

"...But this book is worth the effort...." Read more

"...The book is a bit of a task, but worth the effort." Read more

"A very dense book, very rewarding. I am not actually sure if it has a central point or not...." Read more

10 customers mention "Depth"10 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the depth of the book, with one review highlighting its comprehensive coverage of cell structure and multiple cellular components, while another notes its organization into four main sections.

"...eukaryotes, are much larger than bacteria and have multiple structures inside the cell, especially mitochondria and nucleus...." Read more

"...The book is divided into four main sections: The Problem, The Origins of Life, Complexity, and Predictions...." Read more

"...but otherwise I thought the book was well written and fascinating in it's breadth of coverage...." Read more

"Nick Lane presents an incredibly deep and well thought analysis of his current understanding of how life emerged 3.6 billion years ago...." Read more

9 customers mention "Author quality"9 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the author's expertise, with one noting their ability to correct themselves and another highlighting their balanced approach to science.

"Captivating! The author advances convincing and testable hypothesis about the origin of prokaryotic and eukaryotic life on Earth...." Read more

"...The intellectual leaps are at that level where real science is done...." Read more

"...The author is sincere on what he thought was right but was not in the end, this shows he is a true scientist able to correct himself...." Read more

"...Nick Lane may be a great scientist but his unconscious sexist bias left a bitter taste in my mouth and I couldn't take the rest of his book..." Read more

8 customers mention "Energy"8 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's exploration of energy's role in evolution, with one customer noting how it determines sex and another highlighting how it shapes and constrains evolutionary processes.

"...Lane proposes that the system by which most organisms convert energy to usable biochemicals (especially ATP) provides an important clue about how..." Read more

"...exactly the conditions required for the origin of life: a high flux of carbon and energy that is physically channeled over inorganic catalysts, and..." Read more

"...The underlying subject is energy, how organisms capture and use it, and how bioenergetics might offer new insights into all the big questions...." Read more

"...theoretical structure for predicting Ina highly testable way how energy shapes and constrains evolution...." Read more

6 customers mention "Evolution"6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's exploration of evolution, with one customer highlighting the remarkable nature of biological machines and another noting the unlikely emergence of eukaryotes.

"...understanding of the evolution of life, and the remarkable nature of biological machines...." Read more

"...It combines physics, biochemistry and biology to explain how life originated as the Last Universal Common Ancestor in alkaline hydrothermal vents,..." Read more

"...Good description of cellular ion pumps, membrane and genetic machinery evolution. Lots of stuff about eukaryotes origins from endosymbiosis...." Read more

"...in Biology: origins of life on earth and elsewhere, the unlikely emergence of eukaryotes, the functions of sex and death, and why longevity varies..." Read more

12 customers mention "Writing quality"7 positive5 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing quality of the book, with one describing it as a genuine tour de force while another finds it barely coherent.

"...According to Lane, alkaline hydrothermal vents have the perfect physical and chemical environment to kick-start life...." Read more

"Book was trashed, bent cover and pages. Definitely not "very good" condition." Read more

"...He makes a very good case for answering such fundamental questions as: how did the first living cells evolve?..." Read more

"...since the author seems to have his science in place, but lacks the writing experience to get the message across to all and any type of reader...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2016
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Biochemistry is in the midst of a golden age of discovery and Nick Lane is at the forefront, winning numerous awards in his contributions to the life sciences. In this work, he has identified the vital unsolved questions in the field of biology and has provided plausible solutions to these mysteries including: the enigma of why life emerged only once on this planet, why no evolutionary intermediaries exist between simple and complex life, and the most vital question of all, how life began.

    During the earth’s four billion year history, it appears that life emerged only once, just 500 million years after the earth’s formation. Early life consisted of prokaryotes (cells without a nucleus) in the form of bacteria and archaea, a third domain of life discovered by Carl Woese in the 1960s. Over billions of years through extreme environmental and ecological changes, these organisms have filled every conceivable niche on our planet. Photosynthetic bacteria have bioengineered our planet on a colossal scale, creating the oxygen we breathe, changing the chemistry of the atmosphere and oceans, building up continents with sedimentary rock and minerals as their bodies fall to the ocean floor, in short, creating Gaia, our living planet. Yet, after all this time, they have shown little change in form or complexity. Then, seemingly without any intermediate steps, the eukaryotes (cells with a nucleus) sprang into existence giving rise to all plants, animals, and fungi found today.

    According to the cherished standard model of evolution, evolutionary changes occur incrementally. With this in mind it is hard to understand how complex eukaryotic cells appeared virtually overnight.

    In 1967, Biologist Lynn Margulis proposed a modification to the standard model of evolution. Her astute analysis of paleontological history revealed that evolution rarely occurs in a Darwinian or Malthusian way in which species battle for limited resources. Instead, she discovered that most evolutionary advances occur as a result of cooperation and symbiotic relationships.

    Margulis went further when she proposed the radical idea that cells cooperated so closely that they merged by getting inside one another. It is now widely accepted that mitochondria in animals and chloroplasts in plants are the result of endosymbiosis between bacteria and archaea.

    Author Nick Lane believes that early on in the history of life on earth complex eukaryotic cells arose on just one occasion through a singular endosymbiosis between an archaeon host cell and a bacterial invader creating the precursor of eukaryotic cells. Lane says that this endosymbiotic event might have occurred more than once but those experiments never survived. Over time, all of the complex features of modern eukaryotes including straight chromosomes, a membrane-bound nucleus, mitochondria, specialized organelles, a dynamic cytoskeleton, and total organism replication and reproduction arose by standard Darwinian evolution. Evolutionary theory tells us how life begets life, but it tells us nothing about how life began in the first place. This was the vital question Lane set out to solve.

    All cells, both eukaryotic and prokaryotic, have one essential commonality involving the method of energy production by burning food in the process of respiration. All living cells power themselves through a process of pumping protons across a membrane creating a reservoir of electrical imbalance. The back-flow of these protons is used by cells to produce physical work such as turning the rotors of nanomachines, just as water through a dam turns a turbine. This process provided Lane a clue in his attempt to find geochemical processes that would mimic biological energy production. If he could discover this mechanism in the natural world, it would go a long way in solving the mystery as to how life emerged from geochemical processes.

    In this vein, Lane formulated his own recipe for the emergence of biological chemistry from geochemistry—rock, water, and carbon dioxide. These simple ingredients are not only abundant in our atmosphere but are abundant throughout the known universe. But one cannot simply put these ingredients in a bowl and stir. To begin the chain of chemical reactions leading to life, it is necessary for hydrogen gas (H2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) to react with one another to produce one of the simplest organic molecules—methane (C4). This reaction does not occur under normal conditions. In fact, it is very difficult for hydrogen to react with carbon dioxide and this was one of the problems that confronted Lane.

    All cells derive their energy from reduction/oxidation (redox) reactions in which electrons are transferred from a donor to an accepter molecule. Typically, the accepter is oxygen but any two molecules can perform redox reactions. The molecule that receives electrons is said to be reduced and the molecule that gives up electrons is said to be oxidized. In respiration, or in a fire, where carbon is burned, oxygen is reduced to water, in which oxygen atoms pick up two electrons (as well as two protons that make up the hydrogen atom) producing a final product of water and carbon dioxide.

    In the case of hydrogen gas (H2), an alkaline, and carbon dioxide (CO2), an acid, it is hydrogen gas that wants to give up its electrons and become oxidized. Carbon dioxide, on the other hand, wants to accept electrons and be reduced. Each has a reduction potential, which is the amount of energy released when the reaction occurs. If a molecule (in this case hydrogen gas) wants to give up electrons, it has a negative value (-414 at a neutral PH) for a reduction potential, and alternatively, a molecule that wants to accept electrons, in this case carbon dioxide, has a positive value. The reduction potential is dependent on the acidity of a solution. High acidity increases the reduction potential of carbon dioxide making it more positive and easier to accept electrons whereas alkaline solution increases the reduction potential of hydrogen gas making it more negative and more likely to give up its electrons. One would think that by changing the acidity of a solution it would be easier for hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide to readily react with each other, but changing the acidity of a solution affects all of the molecules in the solution in the same way, so hydrogen gas (H2) will tend to pass on its electrons to H+ to form CO2 and H2. Nothing is gained and we’re right back where we started. Simply changing the acidity of a solution won’t make it any more likely carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas will react to produce methane.

    Lane was not deterred, believing that if there really is a continuum between geochemical and biological processes there should be a way to react CO2 with H2 naturally. He turned his thoughts to the ocean depths. Alkaline hydrothermal vents seemed to Lane to be good candidate for the continuum between geochemical and biochemical processes. Alkaline vents are not volcanic, but originate from the sea floor and are a product of a chemical reaction between water and rocks rich in olivine. Olivine is rich in ferrous iron and magnesium and when mixed with water the ferrous iron is oxidized to ferric oxide releasing heat and generating hydrogen gas dissolved in warm alkaline fluids containing magnesium hydroxides.

    According to Lane, alkaline hydrothermal vents have the perfect physical and chemical environment to kick-start life. Alkaline vents have a microporous structure like a sponge with thin electrically conductive walls separating interconnected pores. Warm currents passing through these micropores concentrate organic molecules such as amino acids, fatty acids, and nucleotides. The interactions between these molecules often precipitate fatty acids into vesicles, the precursors of cell walls, and occasionally they will polymerize amino acids and nucleotides into proteins and RNA. These porous vent structures mimic the biological structures in mitochondria that pump protons across a gradient. But before it is possible to concentrate organic molecules, it is necessary to create them and this was only one of the problems facing Lane: If these alkaline hydrothermal vents create life, then why aren’t they incubating life today?

    It occurred to Lane that conditions three and one half billion years ago in Hadean times are far different than conditions now. Under today’s conditions, there is not enough carbon to incubate life; however, estimates suggest that CO2 levels were anywhere from one hundred to one thousand times higher in Hadean times making the oceans more acidic. The combination of high carbon dioxide levels, mildly acidic oceans (PH 5-7), and warm alkaline fluids flowing through thin electrically conductive Iron sulfide vent walls would have made them ideally suited to react carbon dioxide with hydrogen gas to form methane (C4) as long as oxygen is not present. Under these conditions with temperatures between 25 and 125 degrees centigrade, the formation of all four of the macromolecules essential for life: amino acids, fatty acids, carbohydrates and nucleotides should form spontaneously from the reaction between hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide releasing energy in the process.

    Lane had found his geologic “mitochondria” in the form of alkaline vents on the ocean bottom. His hypothesis of a seamless transition between inorganic processes and organic processes was realized.

    Nick lane’s book The Vital Question is dense but accessible for the lay person who has patience. I think this is one of those landmark books that offer very plausible hypotheses for the vital questions concerning evolution, and the origins of life.
    43 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2015
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    The book covers three inter-related topics: the origin of life, the origin of complex organisms (eukaryotes), and the consequences of having a dual system of inheritance (nuclear and mitochondrial genes) in complex organisms.

    Lane proposes that the system by which most organisms convert energy to usable biochemicals (especially ATP) provides an important clue about how life originated. Organisms pump hydrogen ions outside of a membrane in a fashion analogous to a pump that pushes water into a water tower. Much as the flow of water out of a tower can be used to power an electric generator, organisms use this hydrogen ion gradient to produce ATP which serves as universal source of energy for cells.

    Lane argues that deep-sea alkaline hydrothermal vents provided all the conditions necessary for the origin of life. These vents continuously provide hydrogen and carbon dioxide which can be combined to yield energy and organic compounds. These vents also contain metallic compounds, especially iron and sulfur containing compounds, that could serve as catalysts for the chemical reactions needed by the precursors of living organisms. Furthermore, the structures created in these vents contain pores that could serve as nurseries for the precursors of living organisms. Most importantly, boundaries in these pores permit the creation of an electrochemical gradient similar to hydrogen ion gradient that exists in living things.

    Complex organisms, called eukaryotes, are much larger than bacteria and have multiple structures inside the cell, especially mitochondria and nucleus. This branch of the tree of life includes all multi-cellular organisms such as fungi, plants, and animals. The other two branches of the tree of life, bacteria and archaea, have never produced multi-cellular organisms despite their great versatility with regard to the substances they can consume and environments they can grow in. Lane describes the evidence that eukaryotes arose from a merger (symbiosis) between bacterial and archaeal organisms. He also proposes that this happened just once in Earth's history. This isn't a new theory but Lane extends it by developing hypotheses about the detailed events in this process, such as the origin of the cell nucleus.

    Complex organisms have DNA in two different places, the cell nucleus and the mitochondria. The final section of Lane's book explains the consequences of this, arguing that certain attributes shared by all eukaryotes, such as senescence, and sex are logical consequences of this arrangement. This is because the actions of ordinary, nuclear, genes must be tightly matched to those of mitochondrial genes for the electrochemical gradients in the mitochondria work optimally. This has substantial consequences for human health. Lane argues, for example, that the high frequency of spontaneous miscarriages in people could be the result of occasional mismatches between nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. Another, equally provocative, example is the role of free radicals in health. He proposes that free radicals produced when mitochondria are not functioning optimally may impair health but that anti-oxidant substances such as vitamin C only make things worse by interfering with normal feedback controls.

    It is difficult to say who the intended audience is because it isn't either a typical popular science book or an academic treatise. Its style is informal, all terms are carefully explained, and it has many helpful the illustrations. But a sizable fraction of the material is much more challenging than typical popular science books. Many times, I had to slow down and reread sections to make sure I understood the topic at hand. But it isn't an academic work or even a textbook; the kinds of details academic readers want, such as detailed citations, simply aren't there. It would help if you have a general familiarity with college level biology and some chemistry. Having some knowledge of biochemistry might help but it isn't necessary since Lane mostly avoids describing biochemical details.

    If you can manage to give this book the careful reading it deserves, you will be amply rewarded with a fresh and intriguing view of the topics at hand.

    Some of this material is covered in an entirely different way in Franklin Harold's "In Search of Cell History." If you like one of these books you will enjoy the other as well. Furthermore, comparing their different viewpoints will allow you to see the issues more clearly.
    83 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • ウエル
    5.0 out of 5 stars ワクワクしました
    Reviewed in Japan on June 25, 2017
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    面白いです。
    門外漢なので、本書で扱っているのがどのような学問分野で捉えられるのかは分かりませんが、語学力の壁や基礎知識の不足の問題にはならないのではないでしょうか?(個人的な感想で恐縮です)
    エネルギーという観点から生命の発生、性や寿命などの問題まで、仮説段階のものもあるようですが、詳しく説明してくれていてた科学的な好奇心を満足させてくれる本です。
    惜しむらくは、画像がグレースケールな点です。
    カラーで見られるホームページとかがあるといいな~と思います。
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  • Vicky Chijwani
    5.0 out of 5 stars A compelling theory of the origin of life, intimately linked with energy
    Reviewed in India on January 3, 2016
    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!
  • leonardo sala
    5.0 out of 5 stars Rich, intense, inspiring
    Reviewed in Italy on January 28, 2018
    There might be areas of improvement as far as the readability and the accessibility are concerned, but the fact of the matter is: I read it twice passionately already and I’m restarting it again to grab what I may have missed before.
  • Dionysios Dendrinos
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must read book
    Reviewed in Germany on March 13, 2023
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    One of the best and influential book I have read in my lifespan
  • Dirk Bertels
    5.0 out of 5 stars A real treasure!
    Reviewed in Australia on July 28, 2022
    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!