Nick Lane and Philip Ball Discuss Mitochondria, Sex, and How to Live Longer

Bookmarked Nick Lane and Philip Ball Discuss Mitochondria, Sex, and How to Live Longer by Philip Ball (Nautil.us)

In his 2010 book, Life Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution, Nick Lane, a biochemist at University College London, explores with eloquence and clarity the big questions of life: how it began, why we age and die, and why we have sex. Lane been steadily constructing an alternative view of evolution to the one in which genes explain it all. He argues that some of the major events during evolutionary history, including the origin of life itself, are best understood by considering where the energy comes from and how it is used. Lane describes these ideas in his 2015 book, The Vital Question: Why Is Life the Way It Is?. Recently Bill Gates called it “an amazing inquiry into the origins of life,” adding, Lane “is one of those original thinkers who make you say: More people should know about this guy’s work.” Nautilus caught up with Lane in his laboratory in London and asked him about his ideas on aging, sex, and death.

Biochemist Nick Lane explains the elements of life, sex, and aging in an engaging popular science interview.

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Books by Nick Lane

The Vital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life

Life Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution

Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life

Oxygen: The molecule that made the world