Score 28/40
May the protonmotive force be with you The most enjoyable part of the book is.....Being back in the world of Nick Lane’s research into how life evolved. His enthusiasm for his subject radiates especially in the last quarter and I liked the occasional detail into his own life.
The most important part of the book is....the implications The Ordinary Observation...... |
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BIG FACTS
40 trillion cells in the human body
Number of ATP processes per person per day almost equal to the number of known planets in universe 1021
Eukarites are a chimera of bacteria and archea – proven by study of genome. Not caused by phagocytosis (swallowing of one cell by another)
Archazea were previously thought to be missing link but looking at gene sequencing clearly eukarites that have lost functions – prove that intermediates could survive
How eukarites came to be is big mystery – a black hole/vacuum
Entropy = Increase in heat (energy) life appears to break rule 2 of thermodynamics. In fact energy is the same for living cell and their broken up parts due to energy required to live
All life uses the same proton gradient method to produce energy required to live – ATP chain
ATP chain uses quantum tunnelling - see Life on the Edge
Why didn’t bacteria evolve further in 4 billion years? Answer is Energy per Genome 15,000 – 100,000 times greater for Eukarites
Getting bigger gives bacteria no advantage and slows growth which leads to being outcompeted so smaller population size
Only when forerunner of Mitochondria was inside an archea did complex life begin. Event so rare that only happened once although there are other instances of other bacteria inside archea
5% loss of genome would provide 100,000 aditional units of ATP/day. Able to use this to create cell structure and components like cytoskeleton.
Bacteria have to have full copy of genome available for copying. Always on edge of cells. Euks are able to split copying into sections using similar technique to that of introns.
Why does mitochondria keep just a small amount of its dna? Due to the amount of energy produced (equivalent to lightening strike) it needs to be able to quickly manage cell state.
If electrons are held up and the atp chain is performing poorly then in chain 1 there is alternate route - longer at 12A compared to 7 (each change of a reduces power of atp chain by factor of 10). This escape route releases free radicals which act as smoke in a fire alarm. More atp generators are then build by local dna and if that does not work cell death machinery comes in (apoptosis)
This explains why anti oxidants are not beneficial but could also be harmful as they block this natural signal that the cell is not performing.
All euks have two sexes - why only 2?
Mitochondria dna mutate faster than in genome. By keeping female mitochondrial dna improves compatibility over generations.
Inverse relationship between fertility/disease and mitochondria efficiency/long life. Pigeons and rats same size and metabolic rate but rats breed a lot and live 3-4 years, Pigeons do not and live up to 30 years.
Antioxidants previously seen as key to avoiding old age but not anymore due to free radical damage. What can or should we do.
Exercise - improves
40 trillion cells in the human body
Number of ATP processes per person per day almost equal to the number of known planets in universe 1021
Eukarites are a chimera of bacteria and archea – proven by study of genome. Not caused by phagocytosis (swallowing of one cell by another)
Archazea were previously thought to be missing link but looking at gene sequencing clearly eukarites that have lost functions – prove that intermediates could survive
How eukarites came to be is big mystery – a black hole/vacuum
Entropy = Increase in heat (energy) life appears to break rule 2 of thermodynamics. In fact energy is the same for living cell and their broken up parts due to energy required to live
All life uses the same proton gradient method to produce energy required to live – ATP chain
ATP chain uses quantum tunnelling - see Life on the Edge
Why didn’t bacteria evolve further in 4 billion years? Answer is Energy per Genome 15,000 – 100,000 times greater for Eukarites
Getting bigger gives bacteria no advantage and slows growth which leads to being outcompeted so smaller population size
Only when forerunner of Mitochondria was inside an archea did complex life begin. Event so rare that only happened once although there are other instances of other bacteria inside archea
5% loss of genome would provide 100,000 aditional units of ATP/day. Able to use this to create cell structure and components like cytoskeleton.
Bacteria have to have full copy of genome available for copying. Always on edge of cells. Euks are able to split copying into sections using similar technique to that of introns.
Why does mitochondria keep just a small amount of its dna? Due to the amount of energy produced (equivalent to lightening strike) it needs to be able to quickly manage cell state.
If electrons are held up and the atp chain is performing poorly then in chain 1 there is alternate route - longer at 12A compared to 7 (each change of a reduces power of atp chain by factor of 10). This escape route releases free radicals which act as smoke in a fire alarm. More atp generators are then build by local dna and if that does not work cell death machinery comes in (apoptosis)
This explains why anti oxidants are not beneficial but could also be harmful as they block this natural signal that the cell is not performing.
All euks have two sexes - why only 2?
Mitochondria dna mutate faster than in genome. By keeping female mitochondrial dna improves compatibility over generations.
Inverse relationship between fertility/disease and mitochondria efficiency/long life. Pigeons and rats same size and metabolic rate but rats breed a lot and live 3-4 years, Pigeons do not and live up to 30 years.
Antioxidants previously seen as key to avoiding old age but not anymore due to free radical damage. What can or should we do.
Exercise - improves
TOTAL = 28
Cognitive Ease=2 Technical =5 Story =4 Enjoyment =3 Memorable =3 Ronseal Effect =5 Talkability =2 Longivity =4
read
• Started - 29th August 2016
• Finished - 21st September |
other books
• Life Ascending
• Oxygen |