Life Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution. Nick Lane.

Abstract

According to Lane, “the ten great inventions of evolution” are: The origin of life, DNA, Photosynthesis, The complex (eukaryotic) cell, Sex, Movement, Sight, Hot blood, Consciousness, and Death. He could, of course, have made another selection of these “great inventions,” but on the whole they seem to be very well chosen, especially if one focuses on biological evolution.Where and how life has originated we do not know, but Lane argues well for his view of marine alkaline vents as the cradle of life. He believes that the cell has been invented independently by bacteria and archaea.