The book
here.

Nick Lane's book, Oxygen The Molecule that made the World, is a
surprising volume. It mixes organic and inorganic chemistry with evolutionary
studies, paleontology, research medicine, and even a little engineering to
explain how the world got to be as it is. The first half of the book is
dedicated to what our early atmosphere was like and how it changed as a result
of biological activity. It also discusses how the evolving atmosphere,
particularly the presence of oxygen, affected the complexity of early life and
the sudden flourish of biological diversity after the Precambrian. The last half
of the volume deals with the recent research on free radicals and their effect
on health and on the phenomena of aging and of immortality. Doctor Lane's own
background is in biochemistry, and his research focus has been on oxygen free
radicals and metabolic function in organ transplants. Not surprisingly he went
into some detail about the free radical cascade that affects cellular metabolism
and DNA integrity. I found this somewhat difficult to understand as I have only
a very rudimentary grounding in organic chemistry. Still I have to admit that I
know somewhat more about the process than I did before reading this book.

http://www.slate.com/id/2300578/

Few medical remedies have a more sterling reputation than that
assortment of foods, pills, and general life maneuvers known collectively as
"antioxidants." At last, here's something that promises better heart health,
improved immunity, a pellucid complexion as well as relief against cancer,
arthritis, and the blahs—and it's all-natural! What's not to like?

Well, there is a wee small problem in our ongoing anti-oxidize-athon: As it
turns out, we have no evidence that antioxidants are beneficial in humans.
(Though if you're a Sprague-Dawley rat, there's hope.) In fact, as Emily Anthes
wrote last year in Slate, the best available data demonstrate that antioxidants
are bad for you—so long as you count an increased risk of death as "bad."