The Vital Question

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The Vital Question: Why is Life the Way it is?
Cover of The Vital Question by Nick Lane.jpg
Author Nick Lane
Subject Origin of life
GenrePopularisation of science
PublisherProfile Books
Publication date
2015
ISBN 978-0-393-08881-6 (Hardcover)

The Vital Question is a book by the English biochemist Nick Lane about the way the evolution and origin of life on Earth was constrained by the provision of energy.

Contents

The book was well received by critics; The New York Times , for example, found it "seductive and often convincing" [1] though the reviewer considered much of it speculative beyond the evidence provided. The Guardian wrote that the book presented hard evidence and tightly interlocking theory on a question once thought inaccessible to science, the origin of life. [2] New Scientist found the book's arguments powerful and persuasive with many testable ideas; that it was not easy to read was compensated by the "incredible, epic story" [3] that it told. The Telegraph wrote that the book succeeded brilliantly as science writing, expanding the reader's horizons with a gripping narrative. [4]

Context

Early theories of the origin of life included spontaneous generation from non-living matter and panspermia, the arrival of life on earth from other bodies in space. [5] The question of how life originated became urgent when Charles Darwin's 1859 On the Origin of Species became widely accepted by biologists. The evolution of new species by splitting off from older ones implied that all life forms were derived from a few such forms, perhaps only one, as Darwin had suggested at the end of his book. [6] Darwin suggested that life could have originated in some "warm little pond" containing a suitable mixture of chemical compounds. [7] The question has continued to be debated into the 21st century. [8] [9] [10] [11]

Nick Lane is a biochemist at University College London; he researches "evolutionary biochemistry and bioenergetics, focusing on the origin of life and the evolution of complex cells." He has become known as a science writer, having written four books about evolutionary biochemistry. [12]

Book

Synopsis

Lane argues that alkaline hydrothermal vents known as white smokers provided the energy for the earliest forms of life. Champagne vent white smokers.jpg
Lane argues that alkaline hydrothermal vents known as white smokers provided the energy for the earliest forms of life.

In the book, Lane discusses what he considers to be a major gap in biology: why life operates the way that it does, and how it began. In his view as a biochemist, the core question is about energy, as all cells handle energy in the same way, relying on a steep electrochemical gradient across the very small thickness of a membrane in a cell – to power all the chemical reactions of life. The electrical energy is transformed into forms that the cell can use by a chain of energy-handling structures including ancient proteins such as cytochromes, ion channels, and the enzyme ATP synthase, all built into the membrane. Once evolved, this chain has been conserved by all living things, showing that it is vital to life. [14] He argues that such an electrochemical gradient could not have arisen in ordinary conditions, such as the open ocean or Darwin's "warm little pond". He argues instead (following Günter Wächtershäuser [15] ) that life began in deep-sea hydrothermal vents, as these contain chemicals that effectively store energy that cells could use, as long as the cells provided a membrane to generate the needed gradient by maintaining different concentrations of chemicals on either side. [16]

Once cells similar to bacteria (the first prokaryotes, cells without a nucleus) had emerged, he writes, they stayed like that for two and a half billion years. Then, just once, cells jumped in complexity and size, acquiring a nucleus and other organelles, and complex behavioural features including sex, which he notes have become universal in complex (eukaryotic) life forms including plants, animals, and fungi. [17]

The book is illustrated with 37 figures taken by permission from a wide variety of research sources. They include a timeline, photographs, cladograms, electron flow diagrams and diagrams of the life cycle of cells and their chromosomes. [18]

Publication history

The book was first published by Profile Books in 2015. The British edition was subtitled with the question of the title, "Why is Life the Way it is?", whereas the American edition was subtitled with the explanation "Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life". A paperback edition came out in 2016. The book has been translated into at least seven languages: Chinese, German, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Spanish, and Turkish. [19] [20]

Reception

The head of the universal ATP synthase molecule is made to rotate, driving the formation of the energy molecule ATP. Atp synthase.PNG
The head of the universal ATP synthase molecule is made to rotate, driving the formation of the energy molecule ATP.

Tim Requarth, reviewing The Vital Question for The New York Times , finds the book "seductive and often convincing, though speculation far outpaces evidence in many of the book’s passages. But perhaps for a biological theory of everything, that's to be expected, even welcomed." [1]

Peter Forbes, reviewing The Vital Question in The Guardian , noted that the origin of life was once thought to be "safely consigned to wistful armchair musing", but that in the past 20 years new research in genomics, geology, biochemistry and molecular biology have transformed thinking in the field. "Here is the book that presents all this hard evidence and tightly interlocking theory to a wider audience.", writes Forbes. [2]

Michael LePage, reviewing the book in New Scientist , writes that the fact that complex cells only evolved once is "very peculiar when you think about it", but it is just one of many large mysteries that Lane addresses, including aging and death, sex, and speciation. LePage finds Lane's arguments "powerful and persuasive", with many testable ideas. The book is not, he writes, the easiest to read, but "it does tell an incredible, epic story", from the dawn of life to the present day. [3]

Lane explains how proton gradients across cell membranes power all living things. Membrane potential ions en.svg
Lane explains how proton gradients across cell membranes power all living things.

Caspar Henderson, in his book review in The Telegraph , writes that Lane's book "succeeds brilliantly" as good science writing can, expanding the reader's horizons "in ways not previously imagined." Lane explains why the counterintuitive idea "that cross-membrane proton gradients power all living cells" is no mere technical detail: per gram, he notes, the power is 10,000 times denser than the sun, and it is conserved across every form of life, telling us something about how life began and how it was constrained to evolve. Henderson recommends the book as amazing and gripping, only criticising the publisher for the "pedestrian" quality of the design and printing. [4]

The founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, reviewed the book under the heading "This Biology Book Blew Me Away". It moved him to read two of Lane's other books, and to bring him to New York to interview him. Gates noted that "As much as I loved The Vital Question, it's not for everyone. Some of the explanations are pretty technical. But this is a technical subject, and I doubt anyone else will make it much easier to understand without sacrificing crucial details." [21]

Lane won the Michael Faraday Prize in 2016 for "excellence in communicating science to UK audiences". [22]

Related Research Articles

Biochemistry Study of chemical processes in living organisms

Biochemistry or biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and metabolism. Over the last decades of the 20th century, biochemistry has become successful at explaining living processes through these three disciplines. Almost all areas of the life sciences are being uncovered and developed through biochemical methodology and research. Biochemistry focuses on understanding the chemical basis which allows biological molecules to give rise to the processes that occur within living cells and between cells, in turn relating greatly to the understanding of tissues and organs, as well as organism structure and function. Biochemistry is closely related to molecular biology, which is the study of the molecular mechanisms of biological phenomena.

Outline of biology Outline of subdisciplines within biology

Biology – The natural science that studies life. Areas of focus include structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy.

Common descent Characteristic of a group of organisms with a common ancestor

Common descent is a concept in evolutionary biology applicable when one species is the ancestor of two or more species later in time. All living beings are in fact descendants of a unique ancestor commonly referred to as the last universal common ancestor (LUCA) of all life on Earth, according to modern evolutionary biology.

Hypothetical types of biochemistry Possible alternative biochemicals used by life forms

Hypothetical types of biochemistry are forms of biochemistry agreed to be scientifically viable but not proven to exist at this time. The kinds of living organisms currently known on Earth all use carbon compounds for basic structural and metabolic functions, water as a solvent, and DNA or RNA to define and control their form. If life exists on other planets or moons it may be chemically similar, though it is also possible that there are organisms with quite different chemistries – for instance, involving other classes of carbon compounds, compounds of another element, or another solvent in place of water.

Life Characteristic that distinguishes physical entities having biological processes

Life is a characteristic that distinguishes physical entities that have biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from those that do not, either because such functions have ceased or because they never had such functions and are classified as inanimate. Various forms of life exist, such as plants, animals, fungi, protists, archaea, and bacteria. Biology is the science that studies life.

ATP synthase Enzyme

ATP synthase is a protein that catalyzes the formation of the energy storage molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP) using adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and inorganic phosphate (Pi). It is classified under ligases as it changes ADP by the formation of P-O bond (phosphodiester bond). ATP synthase is a molecular machine. The overall reaction catalyzed by ATP synthase is:

The iron–sulfur world hypothesis is a set of proposals for the origin of life and the early evolution of life advanced in a series of articles between 1988 and 1992 by Günter Wächtershäuser, a Munich patent lawyer with a degree in chemistry, who had been encouraged and supported by philosopher Karl R. Popper to publish his ideas. The hypothesis proposes that early life may have formed on the surface of iron sulfide minerals, hence the name. It was developed by retrodiction from extant biochemistry in conjunction with chemical experiments.

Rare Earth hypothesis Hypothesis that complex extraterrestrial life is improbable and extremely rare

In planetary astronomy and astrobiology, the Rare Earth hypothesis argues that the origin of life and the evolution of biological complexity such as sexually reproducing, multicellular organisms on Earth required an improbable combination of astrophysical and geological events and circumstances.

Chemiosmosis Physiognomic principle that enables breathing

Chemiosmosis is the movement of ions across a semipermeable membrane bound structure, down their electrochemical gradient. An important example is the formation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) by the movement of hydrogen ions (H+) across a membrane during cellular respiration or photosynthesis.

Kenneth R. Miller

Kenneth Raymond Miller is an American cell biologist and molecular biologist, currently Professor of Biology and Royce Family Professor for Teaching Excellence at Brown University. Miller's primary research focus is the structure and function of cell membranes, especially chloroplast thylakoid membranes. Miller is a co-author of a major introductory college and high school biology textbook published by Prentice Hall since 1990. Miller also guided 3 gifted graduate students in his paper on neuroscience. Miller, who is Roman Catholic, is opposed to creationism, including the intelligent design (ID) movement. He has written three books on the subject: Finding Darwin's God, Only a Theory, and The Human Instinct. Miller has received the Laetare Medal at the University of Notre Dame. In 2017, he received the inaugural St. Albert Award from the Society of Catholic Scientists.

The concept of the primordial sandwich was proposed by the chemist Günter Wächtershäuser to describe the possible origins of the first cell membranes, and, therefore, the first cell.

Last universal common ancestor Last recent common ancestor of all current life

The last universal common ancestor or last universal cellular ancestor (LUCA), also called the last universal ancestor (LUA), is the most recent population of organisms from which all organisms now living on Earth have a common descent—the most recent common ancestor of all current life on Earth. A related concept is that of progenote. LUCA is not thought to be the first life on Earth, but rather the latest that is ancestral to all current existing life.

Electrochemical gradient

An electrochemical gradient is a gradient of electrochemical potential, usually for an ion that can move across a membrane. The gradient consists of two parts, the chemical gradient, or difference in solute concentration across a membrane, and the electrical gradient, or difference in charge across a membrane. When there are unequal concentrations of an ion across a permeable membrane, the ion will move across the membrane from the area of higher concentration to the area of lower concentration through simple diffusion. Ions also carry an electric charge that forms an electric potential across a membrane. If there is an unequal distribution of charges across the membrane, then the difference in electric potential generates a force that drives ion diffusion until the charges are balanced on both sides of the membrane.

Structuralism (biology) Attempt to explain evolution by forces other than natural selection

Biological or process structuralism is a school of biological thought that objects to an exclusively Darwinian or adaptationist explanation of natural selection such as is described in the 20th century's modern synthesis. It proposes instead that evolution is guided differently, basically by more or less physical forces which shape the development of an animal's body, and sometimes implies that these forces supersede selection altogether.

Nick Lane British biochemist and writer (born 1967)

Nick Lane is a British biochemist and writer. He is a professor in evolutionary biochemistry at University College London. He has published four books to date which have won several awards.

Biology Science that studies life

Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary information encoded in genes, which can be transmitted to future generations. Another major theme is evolution, which explains the unity and diversity of life. Energy processing is also important to life as it allows organisms to move, grow, and reproduce. Finally, all organisms are able to regulate their own internal environments.

Protocell Lipid globule proposed as a precursor of living cells

A protocell is a self-organized, endogenously ordered, spherical collection of lipids proposed as a stepping-stone toward the origin of life. A central question in evolution is how simple protocells first arose and how they could differ in reproductive output, thus enabling the accumulation of novel biological emergences over time, i.e. biological evolution. Although a functional protocell has not yet been achieved in a laboratory setting, the goal to understand the process appears well within reach.

Abiogenesis Natural process by which life arises from non-living matter

In biology, abiogenesis or the origin of life is the natural process by which life has arisen from non-living matter, such as simple organic compounds. While the details of this process are still unknown, the prevailing scientific hypothesis is that the transition from non-living to living entities was not a single event, but an evolutionary process of increasing complexity that involved molecular self-replication, self-assembly, autocatalysis, and the emergence of cell membranes. Although the occurrence of abiogenesis is uncontroversial among scientists, its possible mechanisms are poorly understood. There are several principles and hypotheses for how abiogenesis could have occurred.

Organism Any individual living being or physical living system

In biology, an organism is any organic, living system that functions as an individual entity. All organisms are composed of cells. Organisms are classified by taxonomy into groups such as multicellular animals, plants, and fungi; or unicellular microorganisms such as protists, bacteria, and archaea. All types of organisms are capable of reproduction, growth and development, maintenance, and some degree of response to stimuli. Beetles, squids, tetrapods, mushrooms, and vascular plants are examples of multicellular organisms that differentiate specialized tissues and organs during development.

The History of research into the origin of life encompasses theories about how life began, from ancient times with the philosophy of Aristotle through to the Miller-Urey experiment in 1952.

References

  1. 1 2 Requarth, Tim (20 July 2015). "Book Review: Taking on 'The Vital Question' About Life". The New York Times .
  2. 1 2 Forbes, Peter (22 April 2015). "The Vital Question by Nick Lane – a game-changing book about the origins of life". The Guardian .
  3. 1 2 LePage, Michael (22 April 2015). "The Vital Question: Finding answers about the origin of life". New Scientist .
  4. 1 2 Henderson, Caspar (24 April 2015). "The Vital Question: Why Is Life the Way It Is? by Nick Lane, review: 'astonishing and intriguing". Daily Telegraph .
  5. ↑ Rampelotto, Pabulo Henrique (26 April 2010). Panspermia: A Promising Field of Research (PDF). Astrobiology Science Conference 2010. Houston, Texas: Lunar and Planetary Institute. p. 5224. Bibcode:2010LPICo1538.5224R. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 March 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  6. ↑ "Darwin 1859 Chapter XIV, p. 490". Darwin-online.org.uk. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  7. ↑ Marshall, Michael (11 November 2020). "Charles Darwin's hunch about early life was probably right - In a few scrawled notes to a friend, biologist Charles Darwin theorised how life began. Not only was it probably correct, his theory was a century ahead of its time". BBC News . Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  8. ↑ Witzany, Guenther (2016). "Crucial steps to life: From chemical reactions to code using agents" (PDF). BioSystems. 140: 49–57. doi:10.1016/j.biosystems.2015.12.007. PMID   26723230.
  9. ↑ Howell, Elizabeth (8 December 2014). "How Did Life Become Complex, And Could It Happen Beyond Earth?". Astrobiology Magazine . Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  10. ↑ Tirard, Stephane (20 April 2015). Abiogenesis – Definition. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. p. 1. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_2-4. ISBN   978-3-642-27833-4.
  11. ↑ Levinson, Gene (2020). Rethinking evolution: the revolution that's hiding in plain sight. World Scientific. ISBN   978-1786347268.
  12. ↑ Lane, Nick. "About". Nick Lane: Biochemist and Writer. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  13. ↑ Lane 2016, pp. 102–110.
  14. ↑ Lane 2016, pp. 19–86.
  15. ↑ Wachtershauser, G. (1 January 1990). "Evolution of the first metabolic cycles". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 87 (1): 200–204. Bibcode:1990PNAS...87..200W. doi: 10.1073/pnas.87.1.200 . PMC   53229 . PMID   2296579.
  16. ↑ Lane 2016, pp. 89–154.
  17. ↑ Lane 2016, pp. 157–233.
  18. ↑ Lane 2016, pp. 334–337.
  19. ↑ "ti:The Vital Question au:Nick Lane". WorldCat . Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  20. ↑ Lane, Nick (2016). Yaşam Neden Var? (in Turkish). Turkey: Koç University Press. ISBN   9786055250942.
  21. ↑ Gates, Bill (27 April 2016). "This Biology Book Blew Me Away". GatesNotes.
  22. ↑ "Michael Faraday Prize and Lecture". Royal Society . Retrieved 12 December 2021.

Sources

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