Lane is among the vanguard of researchers asking why the Krebs cycle, the “perfect circle” at the heart of metabolism, remains so elusive more than eighty years after its discovery. In Transformer, biochemist Nick Lane reveals a scientific renaissance that is hiding in plain sight -how the same simple chemistry gives rise to life and causes our demise. Our inheritance also includes our living metabolic network, a flame passed from generation to generation, right back to the origin of life. Information is important, but it is only part of what makes us alive. What brings the Earth to life, and our own lives to an end?įor decades, biology has been dominated by the study of genetic information. He is one of my favorite science writers.”-Bill Gates “Nick Lane’s exploration of the building blocks that underlie life’s big fundamental questions-the origin of life itself, aging, and disease-have shaped my thinking since I first came across his work. ― Sean Carroll, author of Something Deeply Hiddenįrom the renowned biochemist and author of The Vital Question, an illuminating inquiry into the Krebs cycle and the origins of life. “In this fascinating book, Nick Lane brings together biology, chemistry, and physics to illuminate the role of energy in bringing matter alive.” ― Lee Smolin, author of Einstein’s Unfinished Revolution “I loved every page of Nick Lane’s new book.” ― Siddhartha Mukherjee, author of The Emperor of All Maladies “In this compulsively readable book, Lane takes us on a riveting journey, ranging from the flow of energy to new ways of understanding cancer.” He is the codirector of UCL’s Centre for Life’s Origins and Evolution (CLOE) and lives in London, England. Nick Lane is a professor of evolutionary biology at University College London and an award-winning author of five books. Transformer: The Deep Chemistry of Life and Death

Nick lane transformer