The Vital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life. Questo articolo non è disponibile.The Vital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life

The Vital QuestionFor two and a half billion years, from the very origins of life, single-celled organisms such as bacteria evolved without changing their basic form. 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.The Vital Question

Nick Lane is professor of evolutionary biochemistry at University College London and an award-winning author of five books. He codirects UCL's Centre for Life's Origins and Evolution (CLOE) and lives in London. Bill Gates calls him "one of my favorite science writers."