The Vital Question : Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life

Excellent and imaginative. . . . A fascinating book for anyone interested in life and evolution, and how these discoveries were made. --Lewis Wolpert"

Lane . . . writes about tricky topics like the chemistry of photosynthesis with grace and ease. . . . He not only reports on the latest research on each topic but also sometimes steps in with intriguing ideas of his own. --Carl Zimmer"

With clarity and vigor . . . Lane shows how the critical components and mechanisms of complex life . . . could have developed. --Peter Dizikes"

[Nick Lane] proves an able guide through treacherous scientific terrain. He writes in lucid, accessible prose, and while the science may get dense, the reader will be rewarded with a strikingly unconventional view of biology.--Tim Requarth

What is life? How and where did it begin, even before the advent of eukaryotes? Lane tackles those and other burning issues (sex and death) in a book as brimming with fascination as could be.--Ray Olson

One of the deepest, most illuminating books about the history of life to have been published in recent years.

Masterful . This terribly important book is a manifesto for the future of basic biology.--Adam Rutherford"

Comes triumphantly close to cracking the secret of why life is the way it is, to a depth that would boggle any ancient philosopher's mind.--Matt Ridley

A scintillating synthesis of a new theory of life.--Clive Cookson

An exciting tale, thrillingly told . This is a potent book, one that not only brings you up to date with biology but also stuns you with the wonder of it all.--Bryan Appleyard"