WhatbringstheEarthtolife,andourownlivestoanend?Fordecades,biologyhasbeendominatedbythestudyofgeneticinformation.Informationisimportant,butitisonlypartofwhatmakesusalive.Ourinheritancealsoincludesourlivingmetabolicnetwork,aflamepassedfromgenerationtogeneration,rightbacktotheoriginoflife.InTransformer,biochemistNickLanerevealsascientificrenaissancethatishidinginplainsight--howthesamesimplechemistrygivesrisetolifeandcausesourdemise.LaneisamongthevanguardofresearchersaskingwhytheKrebscycle,the“perfectcircle“attheheartofmetabolism,remainssoelusivemorethaneightyyearsafteritsdiscovery.TransformerisLane’svoyage,asabiochemist,tofindtheinnermeaningoftheKrebscycle--anditsreverse--whyitisstillspinningattheheartoflifeanddeathtoday.Lanerevealsthebeautiful,violentworldwithinourcells,wherehydrogenatomsarestrippedfromthecarbonskeletonsoffoodandfedtotheravenousbeastofoxygen.Yetthissamecycle,spinninginreverse,alsocreatedthechemicalbuildingblocksthatenabledtheemergenceoflifeonourplanet.Nowitdoesboth.Howcanthesamepathwaycreateanddestroy?WhatmightourstudyoftheKrebscycleteachusaboutthemysteriesofagingandthehardestproblemofall,consciousness?Transformerunitesthestoryofourplanetwiththestoryofourcells--whatmakesusthewayweare,andhowitconnectsustotheoriginoflife.EnlivenedbyLane’stalentfordistillingandhumanizingcomplexresearch,Transformeroffersanessentialreadforanyonefascinatedbybiology’sgreatmysteries.Lifeisatrootachemicalphenomenon:thisisitsdeeplogic.
