Life Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution

Nick Lane

Jun 2010 · W. W. Norton & Company

About this ebook

“Original and awe-inspiring . . . an exhilarating tour of some of the most profound and important ideas in biology.”—New Scientist Where does DNA come from? What is consciousness? How did the eye evolve? Drawing on a treasure trove of new scientific knowledge, Nick Lane expertly reconstructs evolution’s history by describing its ten greatest inventions—from sex and warmth to death—resulting in a stunning account of nature’s ingenuity.

Ratings and reviews

Nick Lane proves yet again that hardcore scientists (in this case a biochemist) can pen the most sublime/enjoyable text in the world, all this while being both insightful and elucidative. This book is organised as ten "scientific american" cover article length (maybe slightly longer) chapters, all of whom stand on their own, but to receive a cohesive picture of the grandeur (of evolution) one must be read it in series. Each chapter gives a whistle-stop tour about the scientific literature and consensus (if any) pertaining to the topic, but the key part of each chapter is the brilliant synthesis of this literature into a cohesive narrative and big-idea/testable-hypothesis by Dr. Lane. Big ideas are Dr. Lane's forte, and in this book it is astounding to see him synthesis so many big-ideas. My only quip with the book is that almost every chapter feels crammed, it feels as if Dr Lane has lots more to say, but editor and publisher will not permit it. I really hope that Dr. Lane will publish whole books on many of the chapter in this book. Without a doubt this book is a must read and a joy to read.

Good as everything else from Nick Lane.

About the author

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.”