Genetic Takeover and the Mineral Origins of Life

Genetic Takeover and the Mineral Origins of Life PDF Author: A. G. Cairns-Smith
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780521346825
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 477

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Book Description
Paper reprint of the 1982 edition.

Genetic Takeover and the Mineral Origins of Life

Genetic Takeover and the Mineral Origins of Life PDF Author: A. G. Cairns-Smith
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780521346825
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 477

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Book Description
Paper reprint of the 1982 edition.

Clay Minerals and the Origin of Life

Clay Minerals and the Origin of Life PDF Author: Alexander Graham Cairns-Smith
Publisher: CUP Archive
ISBN: 9780521324083
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 216

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Book Description
This volume is the edited proceedings of a conference seeking to clarify the possible role of clays in the origin of life on Earth. At the heart of the problem of the origin of life lie fundamental questions such as: What kind of properties is a model of a primitive living system required to exhibit and what would its most plausible chemical and molecular makeup be? Answers to these questions have traditionally been sought in terms of properties that are held to be common to all contemporary organisms. However, there are a number of different ideas both on the nature and on the evolutionary priority of 'common vital properties', notably those based on protoplasmic, biochemical and genetic theories of life. This is therefore the first area for consideration in this volume and the contributors then examine to what extent the properties of clay match those required by the substance which acted as the template for life.

Seven Clues to the Origin of Life

Seven Clues to the Origin of Life PDF Author: Alexander Graham Cairns-Smith
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521398282
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 148

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Book Description
The 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.

Origins of Life

Origins of Life PDF Author: Geoffrey Zubay
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 012781910X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 586

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Book Description
Origin of the Universe. -- Formation of the Elements. -- Beginnings of Chemistry. -- Element Abundances of the Planets. -- Geologic, Hydrologic, and Atmospheric Evolution of the Earth. -- Cells, Organelles, and Biomolecules. -- Metabolic Strategies and Pathway Design. -- Biochemical Catalysis. -- Storage, Replication, and Utilization of Biochemical Information. -- General Considerations Concerning the Origin of Life on the Earth. -- Biochemical Pathways Involving Carbohydrates. -- Prebiotic Pathways Involving Carbohydrates. -- Similarities Between the Biosynthesis of Nucleotides and the Prebiotic Synthesis of Nucleotides. -- RNA Metabolism and the Prebiotic Synthesis of RNA. Amino Acid Synthesis Now and Then. -- Chemistry of Translation. -- Early Developments in Polypeptide Synthesis. -- Lipid Metabolism and the Prebiotic Synthesis of Lipids. -- Properties of Membranes and Their Evolution. -- Possible Roles of Clays and Minerals in the Origin of Life. -- Evolution of Organisms. -- Evol ...

The Limits of Organic Life in Planetary Systems

The Limits of Organic Life in Planetary Systems PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 030910484X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 116

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Book Description
The 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.

The Creation Hypothesis

The Creation Hypothesis PDF Author: J. P. Moreland
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 9780830816989
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 338

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Book Description
Editor J. P. Moreland and a team of experts examine arguments and evidence from astronomy, physics, biochemistry, paleontology and linguistics in support of the creation hypothesis.

Between Necessity and Probability: Searching for the Definition and Origin of Life

Between Necessity and Probability: Searching for the Definition and Origin of Life PDF Author: Radu Popa
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9783540204909
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Book Description
Systematically explores the early origins and basic definition of life. Investigates the major theories of the origins of life in light of modern research with the aim of distinguishing between the necessary and the optional and between deterministic and random influences in the emergence of what we call ‘life.’ Treats and views life as a cosmic phenomenon whose emergence and driving force should be viewed independently from its Earth-bound natural history. Synthesizes all the fundamental life-related developments in a comprehensive scenario, and makes the argument that understanding life in its broadest context requires a material-independent perspective that identifies its essential fingerprints

The Nature of Life

The Nature of Life PDF Author: Mark A. Bedau
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108722067
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 443

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Book Description
Introduces a broad range of scientific and philosophical issues about life through the original historical and contemporary sources.

The Touchstone of Life

The Touchstone of Life PDF Author: Werner R. Loewenstein
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198027923
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 385

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Book Description
No one can escape a sense of wonder when looking at an organism from within. From the humblest amoeba to man, from the smallest cell organelle to the amazing human brain, life presents us with example after example of highly ordered cellular matter, precisely organized and shaped to perform coordinated functions. But where does this order spring from? How does a living organism manage to do what nonliving things cannot do--bring forth and maintain all that order against the unrelenting, disordering pressures of the universe? In The Touchstone of Life, world-renowned biophysicist Werner Loewenstein seeks answers to these ancient riddles by applying information theory to recent discoveries in molecular biology. Taking us into a fascinating microscopic world, he lays bare an all-pervading communication network inside and between our cells--a web of extraordinary beauty, where molecular information flows in gracefully interlaced circles. Loewenstein then takes us on an exhilarating journey along that web and we meet its leading actors, the macromolecules, and see how they extract order out of the erratic quantum world; and through the powerful lens of information theory, we are let in on their trick, the most dazzling of magician's acts, whereby they steal form out of formlessness. The Touchstone of Life flashes with fresh insights into the mystery of life. Boldly straddling the line between biology and physics, the book offers a breathtaking view of that hidden world where molecular information turns the wheels of life. Loewenstein makes these complex scientific subjects lucid and fascinating, as he sheds light on the most fundamental aspects of our existence.

Informational Biopolymers of Genes and Gene Expression

Informational Biopolymers of Genes and Gene Expression PDF Author: Richard D. Blake
Publisher: University Science Books
ISBN: 9781891389283
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 812

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Book Description
This new text examines thebiophysics and biochemistry of nucleic acids and proteins, carving outthe dynamic interface between chemistry and molecular biology, and providing adetailed picture of nucleic acids and proteins, their structures, biologicalproperties, and origins and evolution.