The two star rating for this book is much more a reflection of me and how utterly unprepared I was to understand the complex biochemistry Lane focuses on in this book. Perhaps I should have realized earlier that this book wasn't written for me, though in the introduction and in little nuggets throughout the book it really felt like he was trying to write it for a broader audience (he tried to ease the reader into the complex topics and how he would speak about them, but encouraged them it would be understandable to someone who was no expert. he also peppered in pop culture references and relatable metaphors here and there-- but not as much as my lack-of-bio-major mind needed). On top of that, some of the main conclusions he promised to get to-- the origin of life, the science behind aging/dying, what cellular life on other planets might look like-- were enticing enough to keep me going.

In spite of the fact that I struggled through the explanations of many parts of this book, there were little nuggets that I took away and enjoyed.
- He talked about the scientists behind the theories running around today, it really showed how much the scientists themselves-- their nature, their preconceived notions, their stubbornness-- can be just as important as the science itself when it comes to their theories and the vigor with which they hold onto them
- The discussion on how evolution/life "invented" having more than one sex was interesting. What sticks out to me was how he posited that having two sexes was the least beneficial number (if there is one sex, you can mate with everyone; if there are three sexes, you can mate with 2/3 of the population; if there are four sexes it goes up to 3/4, etc. But at 2 sexes, it's only 50%-- the smallest amount!).
- Here and there he applied the lessons of biology and evolution to life at large-- e.g., the most complex organisms arise when there is conflict and adversity much in the same way that someone with an easy life is likely to be less complex/interesting/prepared
- Biologically speaking, Lane gave a brief lesson on the early, or sometimes still existing, hermaphroditic species go to great lengths to avoid becoming the 'female' in any mating, lest they be resigned to the burden of carrying the offspring . This results in a battle to near-death where the loser is the one who gets inseminated. I feel this is another one ready to be discussed as it applies to human society, maybe just with the fact that we should all thank our mothers for what they did to bring us into this world.