The Search for Life's Origins

The Search for Life's Origins
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 161
Release: 1990-02-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309042461

The field of planetary biology and chemical evolution draws together experts in astronomy, paleobiology, biochemistry, and space science who work together to understand the evolution of living systems. This field has made exciting discoveries that shed light on how organic compounds came together to form self-replicating molecules-the origin of life. This volume updates that progress and offers recommendations on research programs-including an ambitious effort centered on Mars-to advance the field over the next 10 to 15 years. The book presents a wide range of data and research results on these and other issues: The biogenic elements and their interaction in the interstellar clouds and in solar nebulae. Early planetary environments and the conditions that lead to the origin of life. The evolution of cellular and multicellular life. The search for life outside the solar system. This volume will become required reading for anyone involved in the search for life's beginnings-including exobiologists, geoscientists, planetary scientists, and U.S. space and science policymakers.

Genesis

Genesis
Author: Robert M. Hazen
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2005
Genre: Electronic books
ISBN: 9780309103107

Scientist Robert Hazen attempts to offer a scientific explanation of how life on Earth began nearly four billion years ago, describing the sequence of events that caused non-living chemicals to become alive and create life.

Origins of Life

Origins of Life
Author: Douglas Whittet
Publisher: Morgan & Claypool Publishers
Total Pages: 154
Release: 2017-12-07
Genre: Science
ISBN: 168174676X

Origins of Life: A Cosmic Perspective presents an overview of the concepts, methods, and theories of astrobiology and origins of life research while presenting a summary of the latest findings. The book provides insight into the environments and processes that gave birth to life on our planet, which naturally informs our assessment of the probability that has arisen (or will arise) elsewhere. In addition, the book encourages readers to go beyond basic concepts, to explore topics in greater depth, and to engage in lively discussions. The text is intended to be suitable for mid- and upper-level undergraduates and beginning graduate students and more generally as an introduction and overview for researchers and general readers seeking to follow current developments in this interdisciplinary field. Readers are assumed to have a basic grounding in the relevant sciences, but prior specialized knowledge is not required. Each chapter concludes with a list of questions and discussion topics as well as suggestions for further reading. Some questions can be answered with reference to material in the text, but others require further reading and some have no known answers. The intention is to encourage readers to go beyond basic concepts, to explore topics in greater depth, and, in a classroom setting, to engage in lively discussions with class members.

The Chemistry of Life’s Origins

The Chemistry of Life’s Origins
Author: J. Mayo Greenberg
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 429
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9401119368

This volume contains the lectures presented at the second course of the International School of Space Chemistry held in Erice (Sicily) from October 20 - 30 1991 at the "E. Majorana Centre for Scientific Culture". The course was attended by 58 participants from 13 countries. The Chemistry of Life's Origins is well recognized as one of the most critical subjects of modem chemistry. Much progress has been made since the amazingly perceptive contributions by Oparin some 70 years ago when he first outlined a possible series of steps starting from simple molecules to basic building blocks and ultimate assembly into simple organisms capable of replicating, catalysis and evolution to higher organisms. The pioneering experiments of Stanley Miller demonstrated already forty years ago how easy it could have been to form the amino acids which are critical to living organisms. However we have since learned and are still learning a great deal more about the primitive conditions on earth which has led us to a rethinking of where and how the condition for prebiotic chemical processes occurred. We have also learned a great deal more about the molecular basis for life. For instance, the existence of DNA was just discovered forty years ago.

The Origin of Life

The Origin of Life
Author: Paul Davies
Publisher: Penguin UK
Total Pages: 366
Release: 2006-09-28
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0141941839

The origins of life remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of science. Growing evidence suggests that the first organisms lived deep underground, in environments previously thought to be uninhabitable, and that microbes carried inside rocks have travelled between Earth and Mars. But the question remains: how can life spring into being from non-living chemicals? THE FIFTH MIRACLE reveals the remarkable new theories and discoveries that seem set to transform our understanding of life's role in the unfolding drama of the cosmos.

Origins of Life in the Universe

Origins of Life in the Universe
Author: Robert Jastrow
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2008-10-23
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0521825768

The most fascinating questions on the history of the Universe are answered in this text.

The Search for Life on Other Planets

The Search for Life on Other Planets
Author: Bruce Jakosky
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 340
Release: 1998-10-15
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780521598378

Does life exist on other planets? This 1998 book presents the scientific basis for thinking there may be life elsewhere in the Universe. It is the first to cover the entire breadth of recent exciting discoveries, including the discovery of planets around other stars and the possibility of fossil life in meteorites from Mars. Suitable for the general reader, this authoritative book avoids technical jargon and is well illustrated throughout. It covers all the major topics, including the origin and early history of life on Earth, the environmental conditions necessary for life to exist, the possibility that life might exist elsewhere in our Solar System, the occurrence of planets around other stars and their habitability, and the possibility of intelligent extraterrestrial life. For all those interested in understanding the scientific evidence for and likelihood of extraterrestrial life, this is the most comprehensive and readable book to date.

Life's Origin

Life's Origin
Author: J. William Schopf
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 218
Release: 2002-10-21
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780520233904

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.

An Astrobiology Strategy for the Search for Life in the Universe

An Astrobiology Strategy for the Search for Life in the Universe
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 189
Release: 2019-04-20
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309484162

Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. It is an inherently interdisciplinary field that encompasses astronomy, biology, geology, heliophysics, and planetary science, including complementary laboratory activities and field studies conducted in a wide range of terrestrial environments. Combining inherent scientific interest and public appeal, the search for life in the solar system and beyond provides a scientific rationale for many current and future activities carried out by the National Aeronautics and Science Administration (NASA) and other national and international agencies and organizations. Requested by NASA, this study offers a science strategy for astrobiology that outlines key scientific questions, identifies the most promising research in the field, and indicates the extent to which the mission priorities in existing decadal surveys address the search for life's origin, evolution, distribution, and future in the universe. This report makes recommendations for advancing the research, obtaining the measurements, and realizing NASA's goal to search for signs of life in the universe.

A Brief History of Creation: Science and the Search for the Origin of Life

A Brief History of Creation: Science and the Search for the Origin of Life
Author: Bill Mesler
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2015-12-07
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0393248542

The epic story of the scientists through the ages who have sought answers to life’s biggest mystery: How did it begin? In this essential and illuminating history of Western science, Bill Mesler and H. James Cleaves II seek to answer the most crucial question in science: How did life begin? They trace the trials and triumphs of the iconoclastic scientists who have sought to solve the mystery, from Darwin’s theory of evolution to Crick and Watson’s unveiling of DNA. This fascinating exploration not only examines the origin-of-life question, but also interrogates the very nature of scientific discovery and objectivity.