Description
Mitochondria are tiny structures inside our cells that carry out the essential task of producing energy for the cell. They are found in all complex living things and are therefore fundamental to sustaining complex life on the planet. But there is much more to them than that.
Mitochondria have their own DNA, with a small collection of genes separate from those in the cell nucleus. It is thought that they were once free-living bacteria; their incorporation into larger cells was a turning point in the evolution of life, enabling the development of complex organisms and, closely related, the origin of two sexes. Unlike nuclear DNA, mitochondrial DNA is passed down almost exclusively through the female line. That's why some researchers have used it to trace human ancestry along the female line to 'Mitochondrial Eve'. Mitochondrial genes mutate much faster than those in the nucleus because of the free radicals produced in their energy-generating role. This high mutation rate underlies ageing and certain congenital diseases. Recent research also suggests that mitochondria play a key role in degenerative diseases such as cancer through their involvement in precipitating cell suicide.
Mitochondria, then, are pivotal in power, sex, and suicide. In this fascinating and thought-provoking book, Nick Lane brings together the latest research to show how our growing understanding of mitochondria is shedding light on how complex life evolved, why sex arose (why don't we just bud?), and why we age and die. This knowledge is of fundamental importance, both for explaining how complex life came to be and for helping us control illness and delay degeneration and death.