Oxygen: The Molecule that Made the World by Nick Lane

Science, 18 July 2003, Browsings

The third most abundant element in the universe is essential for animals; when respiration ceases, death soon follows. But the beneficial effects of oxygen (and the biochemical and physiological functuions that depend on it) receive relatively little attention from Lane. Instead, he highlights oxygen's toxicity and credits that for the evolution of life 'beyond a green slime.' He argues that life had dealt with oxidative stress long before free oxygen became a major component of Earth's atmosphere. He also concludes that at times in the past, atmospheric oxygen levels have exceeded 30%. Turning to oxygen's roles in health and longevity, Lane discusses a wide variety of aspects of free radicals and antioxidants. Despite occasional errors of fact or emphasis, his account is both informative and entertaining.