The Vital Question Audiobook By Nick Lane cover art

The Vital Question

Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life

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The Vital Question

By: Nick Lane
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
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About this listen

To explain the mystery of how life evolved on Earth, Nick Lane explores the deep link between energy and genes.

The Earth teems with life: in its oceans, forests, skies, and cities. Yet there's a black hole at the heart of biology. We do not know why complex life is the way it is or, for that matter, how life first began. In The Vital Question, award-winning author and biochemist Nick Lane radically reframes evolutionary history, putting forward a solution to conundrums that have puzzled generations of scientists.

For two and a half billion years, from the very origins of life, single-celled organisms such as bacteria evolved without changing their basic forms. Then, on just one occasion in four billion years, they made the jump to complexity. All complex life, from mushrooms to man, shares puzzling features, such as sex, which are unknown in bacteria. How and why did this radical transformation happen? The answer, Lane argues, lies in energy: All life on Earth lives off a voltage with the strength of a lightning bolt.

Building on the pillars of evolutionary theory, Lane's hypothesis draws on cutting-edge research into the link between energy and cell biology in order to deliver a compelling account of evolution from the very origins of life to the emergence of multicellular organisms while offering deep insights into our own lives and deaths.

Both rigorous and enchanting, The Vital Question provides a solution to life's vital question: Why are we as we are, and indeed, why are we here at all?

Download the accompanying reference guide.©2015 Nick Lane (P)2015 Audible, Inc.
Biology Evolution Genetics Thought-Provoking
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What listeners say about The Vital Question

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    5 out of 5 stars

One of the most fascinating, albeit complicated, books I've read

If you've ever wondered how it all started and how scientists could even possibly begin to speculate, this book will explain it all. You've heard of the "primordial goo" I'm sure. This book explains exactly what that means. It explains how we go from nothing, to something, to something slightly more complex, to something complex enough for natural selection to kick in; all while explaining how no laws of thermodynamics (and the tendency toward entropy and disorder instead of order) were violated. No pieces are left out for you to guess at. He explains it all and the research behind it. Like building Legos, you can see pieces falling into place, all leading to the evolution of us. Really was an amazing read.

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Super interesting/important topic; very technical

This book was quite hard to follow as a non-scientist. But the topic is very interesting. I’m glad I read it, even though I think I only understood about 50% of it. I wish someone would write a more accessible version of this for non-scientists.

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I wish more books were written this way.

Many people would say this book assumed the reader to be beyond 101 stuff. I’m self taught and delighted in the fact that I had to listen to this book three times and will probably listen three more times - it’s that well done - I pulls me in to a deeper understanding every time I listen. I wish more books assumed this level of understanding. I wish more books were written this way.

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Awesome!!

This was one of the best books I've read/listened to in a long time. I would however caution anyone without a background in biological science, it's not deeply technical but it you don't know a little microbiology or cell biology going into it, you might have to look up a lot of things and it could make it a little less enjoyable for you.

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Can be a bit technical, but I learned a lot

I probably learned more from this book about biology / life than from anything previous. At times hard to keep going, can almost make one sleepy. But if you push through it all, it is most definitely educational and informative. For the layman anyway.

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Great, but I did not finish it

I'd recommend this listen to someone who is into bio. if you understand just little bit of the biology you should like it. For some reason I was never too euphoric about the subject and even though it is super cool, bio never captivated my - It was never my cup of tea. So for great material and very interesting book I rate 4/5 (I rarely give 5/5...)

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Deep, Interesting and Complex

Very very detailed. I feel like an expert on cellular mechanisms now. A interesting book that will have you hitting the rewind button...when you "zone-out" and start thinking about what to cook for dinner, or if you prefer soft or strong toilet paper. Suddenly you have to rewind to find out where the mind-drift happened. But, the fact that I'm so curious about the sentences I missed testifies to the insightfulness of this book. To spoil the ending...the mitochondria did it.

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Genius!

Some microbiology background goes a long way here, but the author successfully blazes through this earth shattering information in a way accessible to millions.
The beauty of the work starts taking shape in the second part of the book. It is then that the connections between the beginnings of life, mitochondria, DNA, sex and aging coalesce.

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So much to learn

There is so much to learn and unpack in this book. I will read it many more times for sure!

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Top Tier Presentation

What made the experience of listening to The Vital Question the most enjoyable?

The author's concise, entertaining, and intelligent presentation of the material. And then Kevin Pariseau gave it some further propellant in his slick narration.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Vital Question?

This is not one of those "memorable moments" presentations. Instead, it was a compelling and multi-layered treatise, building basic science first then expanding eloquently into the great questions under study, the main one of course being a discussion of how life might have emerged out of inorganic structure. I really enjoyed his explanation of the bioenergetics behind each hypothesis. On the other hand one must bear in mind that much of this material is speculative in nature due to the great gulf of deep time that lies between the emergence of life and the present moment.

Which character – as performed by Kevin Pariseau – was your favorite?

The mighty mitochondrion, of course.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, a rare breath of fresh air compared to a lot of books.

Any additional comments?

Kevin Pariseau took this brilliant material and made it smooth and enjoyable. I had to nick one star off a complete five star rating in all categories because of a few moments of redundant rambling that occurred here and there, but these interludes were rare.

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29 people found this helpful