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The Vital Question
Why is life the way it is?
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Check link for latest rating. ( 5,802 ratings, 712 reviews)
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The Vital Question
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
A game-changing book on the origins of life, called the most important scientific discovery 'since the Copernican revolution' in The Observer.
A game-changing book on the origins of life, called the most important scientific discovery 'since the Copernican revolution' in the Observer. 'More people should know about this guy's work' - Bill Gates.
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Description
One of the most exciting science writers of our time. - Independent
Why is life the way it is? Bacteria evolved into complex life just once in four billion years of life on earth—and all complex life shares many strange properties, from sex to ageing and death. If life evolved on other planets, would it be the same or completely different?
In The Vital Question, Nick Lane radically reframes evolutionary history, putting forward a cogent solution to conundrums that have troubled scientists for decades. The answer, he argues, lies in energy: how all life on Earth lives off a voltage with the strength of a bolt of lightning. In unravelling these scientific enigmas, making sense of life's quirks, Lane's explanation provides a solution to life's vital questions: why are we as we are, and why are we here at all?
This is ground-breaking science in an accessible form, in the tradition of Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species, Richard Dawkins' The Selfish Gene, and Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
The Vital Question by Nick Lane is lauded as an exceptional exploration into the origins of life, praised for its originality and thought-provoking theories. Reviewers commend Lane's engaging and detailed writing style, likening his work to a detective novel that challenges the reader intellectually. The book is celebrated for its ambitious scope, merging scientific inquiry with storytelling to tackle profound questions about life and evolution.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781781250372
Publisher: Profile Books Ltd
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 07 April 2016
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Profile Books Ltd
Edition: Main
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 24.0mm
Width: 128.0mm
Height: 196.0mm
Weight: 300g
Pages: 368
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About the Author
Nick Lane has published four critically acclaimed books, translated into 20 languages; most recently The Vital Question. He was awarded the 2015 Biochemical Society Award for his outstanding contribution to the molecular life sciences. Life Ascending won the 2010 Royal Society Prize for Science Books.
Nick is a biochemist in the Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment at University College London.
'Like his forebears in that same department - Steve Jones, JBS Haldane - he's that rare species, a scientist who can illuminate the bewildering complexities of biology with clear, luminous words.' - Observer
'One of the most exciting science writers of our time.' - Independent
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