Transformer

"The writing in the book is so articulate and the unfolding narrative so ambitious that one is carried along helter-skelter… The late Sir Hans would indeed be amazed."

"The writing in the book is so articulate and the unfolding narrative so ambitious that one is carried along helter-skelter… The late Sir Hans would indeed be amazed."

"[A] thrilling journey . . . the book is a tour de force."

"[An] indefatigable exploration of the genesis of biology . . . [Lane] beautifully lays out the sheer improbability of our biosphere, explains why life may be exceedingly rare in our universe, and considers death as a process, not simply as an instantaneous end. "

"The story in Transformer is not just lively and engaging but filled with stimulating ideas about life’s origins and evolution. "

"A thrilling tour of the remarkable stories behind the discoveries of some of life’s key metabolic pathways and mechanisms. [Lane] lays bare the human side of science… The book brings to life the chemistry that brings us to life. "

"Bold . . . passionate . . . a dramatically revisionist account [of the] origins of life."

" Transformer is a complex yet accessible, illuminating, and thrilling exploration of the vitality and elemental mysteries of our existence."

"This is probably the best book on biology (and more specifically biochemistry) that I've ever read."

"One of the most creative of today's biologists ... this is a book filled with big ideas, many of which are bold instances of lateral thinking. "

"In this compulsively readable book, Lane takes us on a riveting journey, ranging from the flow of energy to new ways of understanding cancer."

"I loved every page of Nick Lane’s new book."

"Hugely ambitious and tremendously exciting."

"In this fascinating book, Nick Lane brings together biology, chemistry, and physics to illuminate the role of energy in bringing matter alive."

"Nick Lane’s marvelously engaging Transformer refocused my astronomer’s gaze on the vital chemistry of life on our own planet."

Nick Lane is professor of evolutionary biochemistry at University College London and an award-winning author of five books. He codirects UCL’s Centre for Life’s Origins and Evolution (CLOE) and lives in London. Bill Gates calls him “one of my favorite science writers.”