Overview
- Authors:
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Horst Rauchfuss
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Sweden
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Terence N. Mitchell
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Universität Dortmund Fachbereich Chemie, Germany
Critical assessment of the different theories and hypotheses about the origin of life based on the latest scientific findings
Exciting and easily understandable presentation suitable for researchers in all fields as well as for interested lay people
A "must" for chemists, biochemists, and biologists!
Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras
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Table of contents (11 chapters)
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- Horst Rauchfuss, Terence N. Mitchell
Pages 3-16
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- Horst Rauchfuss, Terence N. Mitchell
Pages 17-41
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- Horst Rauchfuss, Terence N. Mitchell
Pages 43-85
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- Horst Rauchfuss, Terence N. Mitchell
Pages 87-124
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- Horst Rauchfuss, Terence N. Mitchell
Pages 125-144
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- Horst Rauchfuss, Terence N. Mitchell
Pages 145-180
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- Horst Rauchfuss, Terence N. Mitchell
Pages 181-213
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- Horst Rauchfuss, Terence N. Mitchell
Pages 215-236
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- Horst Rauchfuss, Terence N. Mitchell
Pages 237-255
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- Horst Rauchfuss, Terence N. Mitchell
Pages 257-282
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- Horst Rauchfuss, Terence N. Mitchell
Pages 283-313
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Back Matter
Pages 315-339
About this book
How did life begin on the early Earth? We know that life today is driven by the universal laws of chemistry and physics. By applying these laws over the past ?fty years, en- mous progress has been made in understanding the molecular mechanisms that are the foundations of the living state. For instance, just a decade ago, the ?rst human genome was published, all three billion base pairs. Using X-ray diffraction data from crystals, we can see how an enzyme molecule or a photosynthetic reaction center steps through its catalytic function. We can even visualize a ribosome, central to all life, translate - netic information into a protein. And we are just beginning to understand how molecular interactions regulate thousands of simultaneous reactions that continuously occur even in the simplest forms of life. New words have appeared that give a sense of this wealth of knowledge: The genome, the proteome, the metabolome, the interactome. But we can’t be too smug. We must avoid the mistake of the physicist who, as the twentieth century began, stated con?dently that we knew all there was to know about physics, that science just needed to clean up a few dusty corners. Then came relativity, quantum theory, the Big Bang, and now dark matter, dark energy and string theory. Similarly in the life sciences, the more we learn, the better we understand how little we really know. There remains a vast landscape to explore, with great questions remaining.
Authors and Affiliations
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Sweden
Horst Rauchfuss
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Universität Dortmund Fachbereich Chemie, Germany
Terence N. Mitchell
