In this podcast, Nick Lane talks about his path to research in the rarefied field of evolutionary biochemistry, before describing some of the pioneers of biochemistry and the aesthetic pleasure he takes in their experimental designs. He gives a jargon free account of the Krebs cycle, the central metabolic pathway of life and the basis of his most recent book 'Transformer'. We discuss the origin of mitochondria, the mind boggling number of chemical reactions that takes in them each second and the possibly far reaching consequences of electrical and magnetic fields they generate (a possible source of the EEG!). Nick concludes by talking about his work on the mode of action of anaesthetic agents. Great conversation.

Participants:

Nick Lane, Professor of Evolutionary Biochemistry, University College, London. https://nick-lane.net/

Ken Barrett, visual artist, writer and former neuropsychiatrist.http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/

Nick's book,'Transformer': https://nick-lane.net/books/transformer-the-deep-chemistry-of-life-and-death

A diagram of the Krebs (citric acid): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citric_acid_cycle#/media/File:Citric_acid_cycle_with_aconitate_2.svg

Opening and closing music: Prelude to 'Brainland', the opera by Stephen Brown.

Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.uk

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