Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
6 used & new from £12.00

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the meaning of life
 
 

Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the meaning of life (Hardcover)

by Nick Lane (Author) "Mitochondria are tiny organelles inside cells that generate almost all our energy in the form of ATP ..." (more)
4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
RRP: £18.99
Price: £16.14 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £2.85 (15%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Temporarily out of stock.
Order now and we'll deliver when available. We'll e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon as we have more information. Your account will only be charged when we ship the item.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

2 new from £13.07 4 used from £12.00
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Paperback (New edition) £9.99 £6.49 33 used & new from £4.19

Frequently Bought Together

Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the meaning of life + Oxygen: The molecule that made the world (Popular Science) + Life Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution
Price For All Three: £35.22

Some of these items ship sooner than the others. Show details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Oxygen: The molecule that made the world (Popular Science)

Oxygen: The molecule that made the world (Popular Science)

by Nick Lane
4.7 out of 5 stars (7)  £6.74
The Selfish Gene: 30th Anniversary edition

The Selfish Gene: 30th Anniversary edition

by Richard Dawkins
4.5 out of 5 stars (82)  £6.69
Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters

Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters

by Matt Ridley
4.6 out of 5 stars (39)  £6.99
Bad Science

Bad Science

by Ben Goldacre
4.6 out of 5 stars (142)  £4.85
Life Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution

Life Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution

by Nick Lane
5.0 out of 5 stars (2)  £12.34
Explore similar items

Product details


Product Description

Jonathan Hodgkin, Times Literary Supplement
"impressive....a polemical book...readable, provocative and often persuasive....This is an exciting and unusual book."

Review
Challenging, but rewarding. (Observer )

Full of startling insights into the nature and evolution of life as we know it. (Economist Best Books of the Year, 2005 )

An enthralling account...The author has accomplished something quite breathtaking...moreover,he brings the science alive...he is always accessible, livley, thought-provoking, and informative. Every biologist should read this book

'Power, Sex, Suicide is an enjoyable and readable book....anyone interested in the broader and more philosophical aspects of their discipline will profit from reading the book' (David G. Nicholls, Science )

impressive....a polemical book...readable, provocative and often persuasive....This is an exciting and unusual book. (Jonathan Hodgkin, Times Literary Supplement )

See all Product Description

Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
Mitochondria are tiny organelles inside cells that generate almost all our energy in the form of ATP. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
Search inside this book:

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
Check a corresponding box or enter your own tags in the field below
molecular biology
biology
science
evolution

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?


 

Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
5 star:
 (4)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Mitochondria Revisited, 11 Dec 2005
Cellular biology is a subject, which falls between the interesting and complicated. It is for this reason I warn the reader that unless you have an unquenchable thirst for this subject, think twice about reading this book. For the biologically-orientated individual however, this is an excellent book, which takes account of recent developments and discoveries. It is very readable and the author has made a complex subject a somewhat absorbing field. The reason for the 4 stars is the price. Given the lack of illustrations, the price is a bit on the high side.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Ohh mitochondria, tell us the truth, 17 Sep 2007
By Luis Mansilla Miranda (Viña del Mar, Chile) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
What a book, absolutely fascinating and highly recommended, although I must say that this is not an easy book, in fact is kind of complex if you are not acquainted with the subject. This is not a critic, thing is I would not change a bit of it, but in my opinion, people should have a little knowledge of cellular metabolism and biochemistry before attempting this book.

After reading Dawkins book about the selfish gene, it was inevitable for me to wonder about life origins, why unicellular organisms have that tendency to complexity and to group itself, and how all this machinery works. This book provide a thorough and absorbing biography of Mitochondria and its symbiosis with eukaryotes, what is the function of each one, why there are two sexes and why we aged and finally become history. As you will see, our understanding of these matters is rather modest, the author insinuate possible solutions to some of the big questions, but in any case the subject is so interesting that you read this book excited all the way to the end.

How beautiful is life and how complex ... you can see that just watching a little fly and wonder how on earth this insect manage to fly, as if eukaryotes have a previous knowledge of Physics, as if they have all the basic solutions of nature in a template. I just know one thing: I want to know and read more about it.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A whole new world of evolution opened up, 11 Nov 2008
You're certain that the universe contains other complex life forms? -- this book questions that statistical assumption.
This is a wonderful read, and takes you into areas which, even when you've a scientific background, are mostly unfamiliar territory - mitochondria....... but are they that important? - you bet they are.
First we wouldn't be here, we simply would not have evolved, had mitochondria not come into existence.How this is likely to have come about is extensively discussed.
Secondly, the author is of the view that the likelyhood of mitochondria coming into existence at all is so amazingly miniscule that, even by the universe's standards of space and time ( so huge that other theories make the probability if complex life forming a statistical near certainty ) it is, he argues, extremely unlikely to have occured more than the once that has spawned us !
Thirdly, the mitochondrion, as the powerhouse of the cell, is also the seat of much that can go wrong, and ageing and cancer etc are examines from this perspective.
Finally, the genes in mitochondria can themselves mutate and are themselves subject to natural selection - not only that, but they are actually passed down into the next generation via the gamete ( only via the maternal line )........ this is another evolutionary route which has all sorts of interesting implications.
Mitochondria - they're where it's all at !
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!
A fascinating overview of the importance of mitochondria, with some speculation clearly explained. It's a complicated subject, but extremely well written. Overpriced? Read more
Published 14 months ago by rommers

4.0 out of 5 stars Best book of the year
Although I was initially put off by the gimmicky title this is a really good book and should suit those with an interest in cellular biology or evolution. Read more
Published 18 months ago by David Beard

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding
This book is really outstanding. It contains a tremendous lot of interesting new information. Highly recommended!
Published on 10 Jul 2007 by Bengt Larsson

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]

   


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Feedback


Cell and Molecular Biology...

Cell and Molecular...

For sophomore/junior–level courses in cell biology offered out of... Read more
£42.74

Find similar items

 

More From Nick Lane

Life Ascending: The...

Life Ascending: The Ten Great...

'This is a science book that doesn't cheat: the structure is logical... Read more
£18.99 £12.34

 

Up to 53% off Braun Series Shavers

Braun Series 3 390cc Clean & Renew System Rechargeable Foil Electric Shaver
Get in touch with your smooth side with Braun Series shavers, now with Gillette blade technology.

Discover Braun Series at Amazon.co.uk

 

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

Learn more about Gift Certificates

 
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.

Continue Shopping: Top Sellers
The Girl Who Played with Fire
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Host
The Host by Stephenie Meyer

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates