Life's Origin (eBook)

List of Figures and Tables
Introduction: The What, When, and How of Life’s Beginnings

1. Historical Understanding of Life’s Beginnings
John Oró
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

2. From Big Bang to Primordial Planet: Setting the Stage for the Origin of Life
Alan W. Schwartz and Sherwood Chang
Introduction
Origin of the Biogenic Elements
Origin of the Solar System
Earth
Further Reading

3. Formation of the Building Blocks of Life
Stanley L. Miller and Antonio Lazcano
Introduction
The Heterotrophic Origin of Life
Prebiotic Syntheses of Amino Acids
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

4. From Building Blocks to the Polymers of Life
James P. Ferris
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

5. The Origin of Biological Information
Leslie E. Orgel
Introduction
The RNA World
What’s Wrong with the Molecular Biologist’s Dream?
The Metabolist Argument
Conclusion and Outlook
References

6. When Did Life Begin?
J. William Schopf
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