nick lane oxygen the molecule that made the world

Nick Lane is clearly an enthusiast in a modern, non-pejorative sense. Oxygen takes the listener on an enthralling journey, as gripping as a thriller, as it unravels the unexpected ways in which oxygen spurred the evolution of life and death. Oxygen: the Molecule that made the World. Yet if atmospheric oxygen reached thirty-five percent in the Carboniferous, why did it promote exuberant growth, instead of rapid aging and death? Reactive forms of oxygen, known as free radicals, are thought to cause aging in people. /rebates/2fOxygen-The-Molecule-That-Made-the-World-Nick-Lane2fbook2f7604649&. Fruit flies raised at twice normal atmospheric levels of oxygen live half as long as their siblings. Divers breathing pure oxygen at depth suffer from convulsions and lung injury. The strange and profound effects that oxygen has had on the evolution of life pose a riddle, which this book sets out to answer. The Molecule that Made the World Oxford University Press, Popular Science, 2004 Nick Lane In Oxygen, Nick Lane takes the reader on an enthralling journey as he unravels the unexpected ways in which oxygen spurred the evolution of life and death. Nick Lane has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers (Google Scholar) in top international journals, including Nature. High oxygen levels may also explain the global firestorm that contributed to the demise of the dinosaurs after the asteroid impact. Nick’s first book, Oxygen: The Molecule that Made the World (OUP, 2002) is a sweeping history of the relationship between life and our planet. Giant spiders, tree-ferns, marine rock formations, and fossil charcoals all tell the same story.

Researchers claim they could have flown only if the air had contained more oxygen than today'probably as much as thirty-five percent. Three hundred million years ago, in Carboniferous times, dragonflies grew as big as seagulls, with wingspans of nearly a meter.

Nick lane oxygen the molecule that made the world