Power, sex, suicide

It is thought that approximately one and a half billion years ago two types of bacteria forged a symbiotic union to create the eukaryotic cell. Those that became mitochondria may seem to have the subservient role, but in this work by Nick Lane we hear how recent discoveries in the subject are changing this view. The presence of mitochondria not only allowed eukaryotic cells to become much larger than bacteria, but also enabled them to join together to form multicellular organisms. Mitochodnria then had an important part to play in preventing cells from rebelling. They were also involved in the evolution of sex, and explain why there are two distinct sexes.

The final chapter of the book looks at the part mitochondria play in ageing, and how we might be able to slow it down. I feel that it is important that as many people as possible find out about these possibilities in order to have an imformed debate about the ethical issues.

Although this work is aimed at non-specialists, I think that readers without some background knowledge of cellular biology are likely to struggle. The book looks at recent research, often requiring subtle arguments on why we think differently now from 20 or 30 years ago. However, if you do have the required background knowledge then reading this book will be very rewarding.