Life's Origin - The Beginnings of Biological Evolution

by Schopf, J. William

• ISBN13: 9780520233911
• ISBN10: 0520233913
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-10-01
• Publisher: Univ of California Pr

Summary

This volume explores the historical and current theories about the origin of life, addressing in particular the three key puzzles of how and when life began on Earth and in what form.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The What, When, and How of Life's Beginnings	1	(6)
J. William Schopf
Historical Understanding of Life's Beginnings	7	(39)
John Oro
What Is Life?	7	(5)
Beliefs and Hypotheses on the Origin of Life	12	(3)
Chemical Evolution	15	(5)
Personal Reminiscences	20	(5)
Cosmological Evolution and the Origin of Life	25	(4)
The Earth-Moon System	29	(6)
Exploration of the Solar System	35	(2)
Life beyond the Solar System	37	(2)
Epilogue	39	(2)
References	41	(5)
From Big Bang to Primordial Planet: Setting the Stage for the Origin of Life	46	(32)
Alan W. Schwartz
Sherwood Chang
Introduction	46	(2)
Origin of the Biogenic Elements	48	(2)
Origin of the Solar System	50	(14)
Earth	64	(11)
Further Reading	75	(3)
Formation of the Building Blocks of Life	78	(35)
Stanley L. Miller
Antoni Lazcano
Introduction	78	(3)
The Heterotrophic Origin of Life	81	(3)
Prebiotic Synthesis of Amino Acids	84	(8)
Prebiotic Synthesis of Nucleic Acid Bases	92	(6)
Prebiotic Synthesis of Sugars	98	(2)
Hydrothermal Vents and the Origin of Life	100	(3)
Extraterrestrial Organic Compounds and Prebiotic Evolution	103	(2)
An Autotrophic Origin of Life?	105	(2)
Have Too Many Cooks Spoiled the Soup?	107	(2)
References	109	(4)
From Building Blocks to the Polymers of Life	113	(27)
James P. Ferris
The Biopolymers in the First Life	113	(7)
The RNA World: The Prebiotic Synthesis of RNA	120	(6)
The Role of Polypeptides in the Origin of Life	126	(9)
Conclusions	135	(2)
References	137	(2)
Further Reading	139	(1)
The Origin of Biological Information	140	(18)
Leslie E. Orgel
Introduction	140	(2)
The RNA World	142	(8)
What's Wrong with the Molecular Biologist's Dream?	150	(4)
The Metabolist Argument	154	(1)
Conclusion and Outlook	154	(1)
References	155	(3)
When Did Life Begin?	158	(23)
J. William Schopf
Introduction	158	(1)
Evidence from Living Organisms	159	(7)
Evidence from the Rock Record	166	(8)
When Was Earth Ready for Life?	174	(4)
The What and When of Life's Beginnings	178	(1)
Further Reading	178	(3)
List of Contributors	181	(4)
Glossary	185	(20)
Index	205