Today, genes are called upon to explain almost every aspect of our lives, from social inequalities to health, sexual preference, political orientation and criminality. In this incisive and original account, Steven Rose confronts the fashionable ideology of ultra-Darwinism, which reduces humans to little more than machines for the replication of DNA. Whilst recognising the importance of genes and natural selection, Professor Rose argues that the trajectory of life (lifeline) depends on the complex interactions that occur within cells, organisms and ecosystems through time and space. By placing the organism rather than the gene at the centre of life, he offers a bold new perspective on biology that acknowledges the essentially complex nature of life.