Life's Origin The Beginnings of Biological Evolution

Name: Life's Origin The Beginnings of Biological Evolution
Price: 8.01 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9780520233911

ISBN-10: 0520233913

ISBN-13: 9780520233911

Edition: 2002

Authors: J. William Schopf

List price: $34.95

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Description:

Always a controversial and compelling topic, the origin of life on Earth was considered taboo as an area of inquiry for science as recently as the 1950s. Since then, however, scientists working in this area have made remarkable progress, and an overall picture of how life emerged is coming more clearly into focus. We now know, for example, that the story of life's origin begins not on Earth, but in the interiors of distant stars. This book brings a summary of current research and ideas on life's origin to a wide audience. The contributors, all of whom received the Oparin/Urey Gold Medal of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life, are luminaries in the fields of…

Book details

List price: $34.95
Copyright year: 2002
Publisher: University of California Press
Publication date: 10/21/2002
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 208
Size: 6.00" wide x 9.00" long x 0.60" tall
Weight: 0.748
Language: English



Introduction: The What, When, and How of Life's Beginnings




Historical Understanding of Life's Beginnings



What Is Life?


Beliefs and Hypotheses on the Origin of Life


Chemical Evolution


Personal Reminiscences


Cosmological Evolution and the Origin of Life


The Earth-Moon System


Exploration of the Solar System


Life beyond the Solar System


Epilogue


References



From Big Bang to Primordial Planet: Setting the Stage for the Origin of Life



Introduction


Origin of the Biogenic Elements


Origin of the Solar System


Earth


Further Reading



Formation of the Building Blocks of Life



Introduction


The Heterotrophic Origin of Life


Prebiotic Synthesis of Amino Acids


Prebiotic Synthesis of Nucleic Acid Bases


Prebiotic Synthesis of Sugars


Hydrothermal Vents and the Origin of Life


Extraterrestrial Organic Compounds and Prebiotic Evolution


An Autotrophic Origin of Life?


Have Too Many Cooks Spoiled the Soup?


References



From Building Blocks to the Polymers of Life



The Biopolymers in the First Life


The RNA World: The Prebiotic Synthesis of RNA


The Role of Polypeptides in the Origin of Life


Conclusions


References


Further Reading



The Origin of Biological Information



Introduction


The RNA World


What's Wrong with the Molecular Biologist's Dream?


The Metabolist Argument


Conclusion and Outlook


References



When Did Life Begin?



Introduction


Evidence from Living Organisms


Evidence from the Rock Record


When Was Earth Ready for Life?


The What and When of Life's Beginnings


Further Reading


List of Contributors


Glossary


Index