Books like Oxygen

Oxygen is critical to life as we know it, yet for much of the history of life oxygen was scarce to non-existent, and this continues to be the case in some modern environments. 

While anaerobiosis is only a minor inconvenience to many microorganisms, what about complex multicellular organisms such as animals (aka metazoans)? Beginning with aspects of the physical chemistry of oxygen, this volume fills in the fairly stereotypical ways that animals cope with oxygen limitation, both temporally and spatially. 

Notably, many animals have a much more sophisticated anaerobic metabolism than human beings.

So, how is oxygen involved in bioenergetics? Perhaps remarkably, the modern view of bioenergetics only recently emerged in the closing decades of the 20th century. 

As related in this volume, the chemiosmotic hypothesis of Peter Mitchell roiled the field of bioenergetics and led to the nearly two-decade “oxphos wars.” In the end, the chemiosmotic hypothesis was triumphant, and bioenergetics became the study of building and harnessing trans-membrane ion gradients. 

In this context, oxygen takes its place as a terminal electron acceptor, which by facilitating electron flow through the electron transport chain, helps to build the trans-membrane proton gradient. There are, of course, quite a few other actual or potential terminal electron acceptors, and there is much more in this volume about how organisms move electrons around to convert energy.

Lest we forget, however, oxygen was “missing in action” for most of the history of life and can be scarce in some habitats even today. Hence, even complex eukaryotes, which might usually depend on oxygen as a terminal electron acceptor, must have a “plan B.” 

Building on the earlier work by Bryant (1991) and others, this volume outlines in considerable detail how eukaryotes manage their energetics without oxygen. Some of these mechanisms involve building trans-membrane proton gradients in mitochondria anaerobically. This is not something that human cells can do. Rather, our cells rely on lactate formation when anaerobic. 

Indeed, some human cancers exhibit the so-called Warburg effect—aerobic glycolysis, diminished oxygen consumption, and lactate secretion. What would this effect look like in some of these organisms that use mitochondria anaerobically?

I shouldn't admit this, but I've never found biochemistry at all interesting. I'm a biophysicist and routinely amazed by the versatility of physics and enchanted by the variety of biology. Lists of amino acids or the chemical reactions of the various types of sugars bore me to tears, though; I appreciate their importance, but I couldn't imagine studying them.

Therefore, reading this book was a revelation: Lane makes biochemistry seem sensible, deep, and fundamental, with rules and consequences central to life's origin. As an added bonus, Lane connects all this to vexing current problems, like the nature of cancer.

Although skin is highly visible and a good indicator of health, habits, and age, its complexity and significance for overall health are often overlooked. Dermatologist, historian, and world traveler, Lyman demystifies the body’s largest organ.

He explains commonly encountered conditions such as blushing, goosebumps, and itching. With engaging stories, Lyman also informs about rarely encountered conditions, past and present, that illustrate the amazing capacity of the skin to fend off infection, dehydration, and other perils of the outside world as well as assaults from within.

Additionally, skin is rich with social and psychological significance. You will be compelled to take better care of your body’s wrapping having read the book. 

This book completely changed the way I thought about aging and death. I listened to this book whilst walking along the Cornish Coastal Path in January. I was in the process of writing my own book about aging and had been focusing on biology but not humanity.

The warmth of the writing, the emotional journey that Gawande undergoes, the brilliant advice, and the wisdom from an expert all combine to make a wonderful life (and death) changing book.

Dr. Kernisan is a well-known geriatrician who writes an educational newsletter that is as useful as her book!

She has years of expertise on dealing with all kinds of senior health issues and concerns. Excellent book for any caregiver! She covers a wide range of critical things to know if you are caring for an elder loved one that I can’t recommend this book enough!

In this wise and welcome field guide, Michelle Van Loon casts a vision for what our lives might look like if we refuse to settle and instead lean into the many challenges, losses, and disappointments of midlife as traction to keep growing. Becoming Sage not only empowers us to flourish today—it infuses us with hope for our future. (Plus, because Michelle is incredibly funny, there’s humor throughout.)

I only discovered David Sedaris' writings a couple of years ago, and already, I have pretty much read everything this man has scribbled. I love how he can take the tiniest moments, like a hotel elevator ride, and then blow it up into a hilarious life lesson.

His family sits at the center of his creative fodder, and his observations on life, death, and love are laugh-out-loud funny. This book is more than just a collection of essays; it is an artfully threaded story of the unique and sometimes complicated love he has for his family. 

There was a death in my family years back, and somehow after a long and wrenching day at the hospital, we were sitting around my dining room table at a late-night long-delayed dinner – and we were laughing. My brother came into the kitchen, worried about the children present: what were they learning? I answered: They’re learning how to bury us. Death, even death – and I am heavily grieving a loss right now – can be a moment for laughter, the sheer absurdity of life, the grief and sorrow expressed in crying and in laughing. There are other good books that do this, that take a more intellectual approach – but honestly, I admire the chutzpah of Greenberg editing a book of cartoons on death. 

The range is from the silly, the grim reaper at the door introducing the fat lady, ‘here to sing for you,' to ones that… show more.