The Origins of Life: Molecules and Natural Selection
Author: Leslie E. Orgel
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Published: 1973
Total Pages: 258
ISBN-13:
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Origins of Life
Author: Freeman Dyson
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 1999-09-28
Total Pages: 114
ISBN-13: 1139425765
DOWNLOAD EBOOKHow did life on earth originate? Did replication or metabolism come first in the history of life? In this book, Freeman Dyson examines these questions and discusses the two main theories that try to explain how naturally occurring chemicals could organize themselves into living creatures. The majority view is that life began with replicating molecules, the precursors of modern genes. The minority belief is that random populations of molecules evolved metabolic activities before exact replication existed. Dyson analyzes both of these theories with reference to recent important discoveries by geologists and chemists. His main aim is to stimulate experiments that could help to decide which theory is correct. This second edition covers the enormous advances that have been made in biology and geology in the past and the impact they have had on our ideas about how life began. It is a clearly-written, fascinating book that will appeal to anyone interested in the origins of life.
The Origin of Life
Author: Paul Davies
Publisher: Penguin UK
Published: 2006-09-28
Total Pages: 366
ISBN-13: 0141941839
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe origins of life remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of science. Growing evidence suggests that the first organisms lived deep underground, in environments previously thought to be uninhabitable, and that microbes carried inside rocks have travelled between Earth and Mars. But the question remains: how can life spring into being from non-living chemicals? THE FIFTH MIRACLE reveals the remarkable new theories and discoveries that seem set to transform our understanding of life's role in the unfolding drama of the cosmos.
Molecular Biology of the Cell
Author:
Publisher:
Published: 2002
Total Pages: 0
ISBN-13: 9780815332183
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe Origins of Life
Author: John Maynard Smith
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 2000
Total Pages: 191
ISBN-13: 019286209X
DOWNLOAD EBOOKPresents, for the general readership, the novel picture of evolution proposed in the 1995 book, The major transitions in evolution.
Seven Clues to the Origin of Life
Author: Alexander Graham Cairns-Smith
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 1990-09-13
Total Pages: 148
ISBN-13: 9780521398282
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe mysteries surrounding the origins of life on earth are written in detective story fashion by a world famous scientist in this popular version of Genetic Takeover, originally published in 1982.
The Origin of Life
Author: Aleksandr Ivanovich Oparin
Publisher: Courier Dover Publications
Published: 2003
Total Pages: 0
ISBN-13: 9780486495224
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis classic of biochemistry offered the first detailed exposition of the theory that living tissue was preceded upon Earth by a long and gradual evolution of nitrogen and carbon compounds. "Easily the most scholarly authority on the question...it will be a landmark for discussion for a long time to come." — New York Times.
The Search for Life's Origins
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Published: 1990-02-01
Total Pages: 161
ISBN-13: 0309042461
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe field of planetary biology and chemical evolution draws together experts in astronomy, paleobiology, biochemistry, and space science who work together to understand the evolution of living systems. This field has made exciting discoveries that shed light on how organic compounds came together to form self-replicating molecules-the origin of life. This volume updates that progress and offers recommendations on research programs-including an ambitious effort centered on Mars-to advance the field over the next 10 to 15 years. The book presents a wide range of data and research results on these and other issues: The biogenic elements and their interaction in the interstellar clouds and in solar nebulae. Early planetary environments and the conditions that lead to the origin of life. The evolution of cellular and multicellular life. The search for life outside the solar system. This volume will become required reading for anyone involved in the search for life's beginnings-including exobiologists, geoscientists, planetary scientists, and U.S. space and science policymakers.
Life from an RNA World
Author: Michael Yarus
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Published: 2010
Total Pages: 212
ISBN-13: 9780674050754
DOWNLOAD EBOOKA majority of evolutionary biologists believe that we now can envision our biological predecessors--not the first, but nearly the first, living beings on Earth. This book is about these vanished forebears. The era between the first rudimentary life on Earth and the appearance of more complex beings is called the RNA world. It is RNA (ribonucleic acid) long believed to be a mere biologic copier and messenger, that offers a glimpse into our ancient predecessors. To describe early RNA creatures, here called "ribocytes" or RNA cells, the author uses basics of molecular biology. He reviews our current understanding of the tree of life, examines the structure of RNA itself, explains the operation of the genetic code, and more. Courting controversy among those who question the role of ribocytes -- citing the chemical fragility of RNA and the uncertainty about the origin of an RNA synthetic apparatus -- he offers a vision of early life on Earth.
The Limits of Organic Life in Planetary Systems
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Published: 2007-06-26
Total Pages: 116
ISBN-13: 0309179564
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe search for life in the solar system and beyond has to date been governed by a model based on what we know about life on Earth (terran life). Most of NASA's mission planning is focused on locations where liquid water is possible and emphasizes searches for structures that resemble cells in terran organisms. It is possible, however, that life exists that is based on chemical reactions that do not involve carbon compounds, that occurs in solvents other than water, or that involves oxidation-reduction reactions without oxygen gas. To assist NASA incorporate this possibility in its efforts to search for life, the NRC was asked to carry out a study to evaluate whether nonstandard biochemistry might support life in solar system and conceivable extrasolar environments, and to define areas to guide research in this area. This book presents an exploration of a limited set of hypothetical chemistries of life, a review of current knowledge concerning key questions or hypotheses about nonterran life, and suggestions for future research.
