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Zusammenfassung von Power, Sex, Suicide

Name: Power, Sex, Suicide
Rating: 4.1 (46 reviews)
Author: Nick Lane

Nick Lane

Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life

4.1 (46 Bewertungen)

18 Min.

Kurz zusammengefasst

'Power, Sex, Suicide' by Nick Lane is an exploration of the evolution of mitochondria and their role in the development of complex life. Lane argues that the rise of these tiny organelles was crucial to the success of eukaryotic cells and the vast biodiversity they support.

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Power, Sex, Suicide
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What’s in it for me? Learn about an unassuming but essential contributor to your existence.

What is the secret to life?

There are many ways to tackle this age-old question, and depending on what you’re looking for, the answers will either leave you satisfied, content or frustrated.

For some, there is a less metaphorical and more scientific response: mitochondria. Mitochondria lie at the center of all multicellular life, and they play a vital role in shaping our existence. In these blinks, we take a look at our most crucial and complex biological processes, and explain how mitochondria are central to each of them.

You’ll also discover

who Mitochondrial Eve is and how you’re related to her;
how many different cells are in the human body; and
why there are two sexes.

Mitochondria lie at the center of all multicellular life.

Some 4 billion years ago, when life on Earth was just beginning, all that existed were algae and single-cell bacteria.

Six hundred million years ago – a mere sixth of the time that life has existed on Earth – more complex forms of life started to develop. These complex lifeforms are called multicellular organisms – they are a combination of numerous cells that have a variety of functions.

Not only did these new multicellular organisms have more cells, they also had different types of cells that fulfilled various functions. These multicellular organisms are eukaryotes, and each of their cells contains a nucleus. These eukaryotic cells are what humans and animals are made up of. More simple organisms, such as bacteria, are known as prokaryotes. Prokaryotic cells contain no nucleus.

For a long time, biologists thought that prokaryotes evolved into eukaryotes, which then transformed into complex entities such as humans. However, this isn’t exactly the case. These two types of cells are distinct from each other; for instance, eukaryotes are ten to 100 times larger than prokaryotes.

The biggest difference, though, is that complex multicellular organisms are made up of eukaryotic cells, which all have – or once had – mitochondria. Mitochondria live inside cells and produce energy.

So, if all complex life forms consist of eukaryotes, and eukaryotic cells only exist when they’ve come in contact with mitochondria, then it follows that mitochondria are at the center of all multicellular life.

Since all that existed in the beginning were prokaryotes such as algae and bacteria, it’s likely that eukaryotes came into existence via a merger between two prokaryotes: one being a mitochondria and the other a host cell. We’ll take a more detailed look at this later on.

Mitochondria give us power.

Before modern science emerged, the sixteenth-century Swiss alchemist Paracelsus imagined our existence as a “flame of life.” Though intended as a metaphor, it turns out Paracelsus was actually close to the scientific fact.

While humans don’t burn like candles, the process of respiration and combustion are one and the same. The act of breathing provides our cells with oxygen, which we use to burn glucose. This process is known as cellular respiration.

Unlike eukaryotes, bacteria could never have transformed into complex entities.

Bacteria have evolved since they first came into existence some 4 billion years ago. They have survived all kinds of environments – cold, hot, dry, damp – and are now varied and sophisticated.

Nevertheless, they are still single-celled organisms. Eukaryotes, in contrast, have evolved into complex entities that can think, see, hear and experience sentience, among many other abilities. Given that eukaryotic cells have evolved, we must ask ourselves: what’s stopping bacteria from transforming?

Eukaryotes grew in complexity as their energy efficiency rose.

Since the development of the first eukaryotic cell, life forms became more and more complex. But why? It’s not as if evolution has a goal or endgame. In contrast to how an embryo is preprogrammed to develop into a child and then an adult, evolution by natural selection lacks such a roadmap.

So did complex life come about by chance? Was it natural selection? There is no clear answer to this question, but one of the main reasons eukaryotes have grown and become more elaborate is their energy and by extension, mitochondria.

Mitochondria determine cell death and sex development.

Multicellular organisms are made up of billions and billions of cells. Every cell has an important role that contributes to the organism's well-being. If they were left to act on their own accord, cells would have no reason to be so giving. So what keeps them from selfishly multiplying in numbers? Well, evolution has a “molecular police force” in place. Known as apoptosis, this force relies on programmed cell death, or “cell suicide.”

Apoptosis is controlled by mitochondria. The mitochondria in cells are what determines when it’s time for a cell to expire.

Mitochondrial DNA marks the starkest difference between the sexes and traces back through our ancestry.

Biologically speaking, there are two sexes: female and male. What distinguishes one from the other? Many biologists would point out that differences in chromosomes are a distinguishing feature between females and males. Typically, females have two X chromosomes, whereas men have one X and one Y chromosome.

However, there is a bigger difference between the sexes, one that is found in the passing on of mitochondrial DNA.

The cause of aging and death can be found in mitochondria.

It’s generally accepted in biology that the bigger something is, the slower its metabolic rate, and thus the longer its lifespan. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule; birds, for example, live much longer than this rule predicts.

But for the most part, this law rings true. So, if lifespan is predicated on metabolic rate, which is a measure of how quickly our body consumes energy, then it’s clear that mitochondria play a central role in determining our lifespans.

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Worum geht es in Power, Sex, Suicide?

Power, Sex, Suicide (2005) reveals the incredible role that mitochondria play in the evolution of complex life forms. The book looks at various functions of multicellular organisms, including energy generation, cellular relationships and life cycles, and demonstrates the influence of mitochondria in each of these areas.

Bestes Zitat aus Power, Sex, Suicide

Speaking as a multicellular eukaryote, I might be biased, but I do not believe that bacteria will ever ascend the smooth ramp to sentience. . .

—Nick Lane

Wer Power, Sex, Suicide lesen sollte

Biologists and biology students
People interested in the origin and evolution of life
Those who want to know more about life, sex and death from a biological perspective

Über den Autor

Nick Lane is a British writer and professor of evolutionary biochemistry at University College London. His work has been published in distinguished scientific journals such as Nature, Scientific American and The Lancet.

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