Customer Reviews
A whole new world of evolution opened up - By: phil mars, 11 Nov 2008 
You're certain that the universe contains other complex life forms? -- this book questions that statistical assumption.
This is a wonderful read, & takes you into areas which, even when you've a scientific background, are mostly unfamiliar territory - mitochondria....... but are they that important? - you bet they are.
First we wouldn't be here, we simply would not have evolved, had mitochondria not come into existence.How this is likely to have come about is extensively discussed.
Secondly, the author is of the view that the likelyhood of mitochondria coming into existence at all is so amazingly miniscule that, even by the universe's standards of space & time ( so huge that other theories make the probability if complex life forming a statistical near certainty ) it is, he argues, extremely unlikely to have occured more than the once that has spawned us !
Thirdly, the mitochondrion, as the powerhouse of the cell, is also the seat of much that can go wrong, & ageing & cancer etc are examines from this perspective.
Finally, the genesin mitochondria can themselves mutate & are themselves subject to natural selection - not only that, but they are actually passed down into the next generation via the gamete ( only via the maternal line )........ this is another evolutionary route which has all sorts of interesting implications.
Mitochondria - they're where it's all at !
Excellent! - By: rommers, 21 Apr 2008 A fascinating overview of the importance of mitochondria, with some speculation clearly explained. It's a complicated subject, but extremely well written. Overpriced? hardly. Not sure what the previous reviewer thought the pictures could be of, anyway...
Best book of the year - By: David Beard, 01 Jan 2008 
Although I was initially put off by the gimmicky title I am pleased to report that this is a really good book & should suit those with an interestin cellular biology or evolution.
I feared that this would be one of those pop-science books full of sloppy terminology & exclaimation marks.In the event this was a fascinating read about the evolution of the eukaryotic cell, & the role of mitochondria. Difficult to put down. Buy it.
Ohh mitochondria, tell us the truth - By: Luis Mansilla Miranda, 17 Sep 2007 What a book, absolutely fascinating & highly recommended, although I must say that this is not an easy book,in fact is kind of complex if you are not acquainted with the subject. This is not a critic, thing is I would not change a bit of it, butin my opinion, people should have a little knowledge of cellular metabolism & biochemistry before attempting this book.
After reading Dawkins book about the selfish gene, it was inevitable for me to wonder about life origins, why unicellular organisms have that tendency to complexity & to group itself, & how all this machinery works. This book provide a thorough & absorbing biography of Mitochondria & its symbiosis with eukaryotes, what is the function of each one, why there are two sexes & why we aged & finally become history. As you will see, our understanding of these matters is rather modest, the author insinuate possible solutions to some of the big questions, butin any case the subject is so interesting that you read this book excited all the way to the end.
How beautiful is life & how complex ... you can see that just watching a little fly & wonder how on earth this insect manage to fly, as if eukaryotes have a previous knowledge of Physics, as if they have all the basic solutions of naturein a template. I just know one thing: I want to know & read more about it.
Outstanding - By: Bengt Larsson, 10 Jul 2007 This book is really outstanding. It contains a tremendous lot of interesting new information. Highly recommended!
