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Origins

Genesis, Evolution and Diversity of Life

  • Book
  • © 2004

Overview

Editors:
  1. Joseph Seckbach

    1. Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

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Part of the book series: Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology (COLE, volume 6)

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Table of contents (40 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxxi
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  2. Origin & Evolution of Life

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
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    2. Introduction

      • Joseph Seckbach
      Pages 3-5

    3. The Fact of Life

      • Philip Morrison
      Pages 6-13

    4. Historical Review of the Origin of Life and Astrobiology

      • F. Raulin-Cerceau
      Pages 15-33

    5. In the Beginning

      • Louis Lerman, Jacqueline Teng
      Pages 35-55

  3. The Standard Scenario

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 57-57
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    2. The Chemistry of Life’s Origins

      • A. Brack
      Pages 59-73

    3. Prebiotic Amphiphilic Compounds

      • David W. Deamer
      Pages 75-89

    4. Theoretical and Computational Approaches to the Study of the Origin of Life

      • D. Segrè, D. Lancet
      Pages 91-120

    5. The HCN World

      • Clifford N. Matthews
      Pages 121-135

    6. The Possible Role of Volcanic Lightning in Chemical Evolution

      • Rafael Navarro-González, Antigona Segura
      Pages 139-152

    7. Chemistry in Prebiotic Aerosols: A Mechanism for the Origin of Life

      • Heikki Tervahattu, Adrian Tuck, Veronica Vaida
      Pages 153-165

  4. Alternatives to the Standard Scenario

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 167-167
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    2. Prebiotic Interplay Between Fatty Acids and Amino Acids in Hydrothermal Environments

      • Koichiro Matsuno
      Pages 169-179

    3. The Role of Clays in the Origin of Life

      • A. Negron-Mendoza, S. Ramos-Bernal
      Pages 181-194

    4. Organomineralization

      • Joachim Reitner
      Pages 195-212

  5. The First Steps of Biological Evolution

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 213-213
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    2. Role of Nucleotide-Like Coenzymes in Primitive Evolution

      • M. S. Kritsky, T. A. Telegina
      Pages 215-231

    3. Cosmic Thermobiology

      • Charles H. Lineweaver, David Schwartzman
      Pages 233-248
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Keywords

About this book

Origins: Genesis, Evolution and Biodiversity of Microbial Life in the Universe is the sixth unit of the book series Cellular Origins, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology (COLE) edited by Joseph Seckbach. In this book forty eminent scientists review their studies in the fields of Life from the beginning to the "Fact of Life". The history of Origin of Life and Astrobiology is well covered by these authors. Reviews cover the standard and alternative scenarios of the genesis of Life, while the chapters of "The First Cells" leading to the biodiversity and extremophiles of microbial Life. Among these extremophiles are the microbes living in the Life's limits, such as in high temperature, psychrophilic, UV radiation, and halophilic environments. The origin and history of Martian water is discussed followed by the possible biogeochemistry inside Titan. This new field of Astrobiology has been presented, from comets as a source of materials and Life on earth to the space for last Frontiers.

Reviews

From the reviews:

"This hefty volume … is the sixth in a series dealing in cellular origin and life in extreme habitats and astrobiology. … Thus, it covers an enormous range of topics … . The advantages … include a topicality and a constant reminder of the many exciting frontiers under active investigation. … it contains a number of excellent reviews … . In conclusion, this book is a must for all students of astrobiology … ." (Simon Conway Morris, Geological Magazine, Vol. 142 (2), 2005)

Editors and Affiliations

  • Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

    Joseph Seckbach

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