This is a dense book that took me most of November to read. That said, it's quite interesting, delving deeply into biology back to the most likely origins of complex life on this planet.

Each cell in your body contains two distinct sets of DNA - one belongs to the mitochondria. This book examines both sets, how that came to be, what they are used for, and how the cell works at a fundamental level. The author also investigates defect handling, cell death, and gender development in humans and other species of plants and animals. The book starts with delving back to the last universal common ancestor of eukaryotes, archaea and bacteria.

Perhaps the most interesting part to me was investigating how energy is utilized in cells. Cell respiratory action transfers electrons down chains of molecules and pumps protons (your body pumps 10^21 protons per second!) across membranes evolved from (and quite similar to) the alkaline hydrothermal vents where life most likely started.

In summary, quite interesting. My last biology was a single class in college, but the text was quite accessible and filled with helpful diagrams. A very good index, glossary, and extensive bibliography complement the text.