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Life Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution
Nick Lane · 2009 · 344 pages
How did life invent itself? Where did DNA come from? How did consciousness develop? Comparing gene sequences, examining atomic structures of proteins, and looking into the geochemistry of rocks have helped explain evolution in more detail than ever before. The author of this book reconstructs the history of life by describing the ten greatest inventions of evolution (including DNA, photosynthesis, sex, and sight), based on their historical impact, role in organisms today, and relevance to current controversies. Who would have guessed that eyes started off as light-sensitive spots used to calibrate photosynthesis in algae? Or that DNA’s building blocks form spontaneously in hydrothermal vents?
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Andrej Karpathy
“I used to think that the origin of life was this magical rare event. But then you read books like, for example, Nick Lane, "The Vital Question", "Life Ascending", et cetera. And he really gets in, he really makes you believe that this is not that rare. [...] I do feel like the story in these books, like Nick Lane's books and so on, sort of makes sense and it makes sense how life arose on earth uniquely. And yeah, I don't need to reach for more exotic explanations right now.”
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