New
The Origins of Life,
Edition 1 From Abiotic Chemistry to the First CellsEditors: By Randy O. Wayne, Thomas Owens and Karl Niklas
Publication Date:
07 May 2025
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The Origins of Life: From Abiotic Chemistry to the First Cells is an essential textbook that tackles one of the greatest mysteries in science, how inanimate matter evolved into the first living things. The book takes an interdisciplinary approach, delving into the basic principles of the earth’s chemistry, the formation of pre-cellular entities, and the acquisition of chemical complexity. It explains the creation of chromosomes, metabolic pathways, and the features of the earliest prokaryotes. Users will find a detailed exposition of the World RNA Hypothesis in an accessible and easy-to-read style which is comprehensible for both science and non-science majors.
This textbook is a critical resource for upper-level undergraduate students in Cellular Biology, specifically those studying or researching evolution, cellular chemistry, and pre-biotic chemistry, as well as non-science majors in courses on the philosophy of science or related topics. It is also useful for professionals in biochemistry, evolutionary biology, and astrobiology who wish to understand the origins of life and first cells. Science communicators could use this interdisciplinary textbook for teaching and dissemination to broader audiences as well.
Key Features
- Functions as a readable and instructive book on the evolution of life
- Offers a deep dive into the first principles of the physical sciences
- Explores, in detail, the emergence of life from inanimate matter
- Presents the RNA World Hypothesis in considerable depth
About the author
By Randy O. Wayne, Plant Cell Biologist, Cornell University, USA; Thomas Owens, Cornell University, USA and Karl Niklas, Cornell University, USA
1. Basic Principles and How They Constrain the Path to Life
2. Abiotic Chemistry, Physicochemical Selection, and the First Steps Toward Life
3. Membranes and the Critical Role of Containment
4. Defeating Chemical Equilibrium and the Rise of Chemical Complexity
5. Catalysis and Molecular Selection: the RNA World Hypothesis
6. From the RNA World to the DNA Genetic Code
7. Controlling Chemistry: Metabolism and Systemic Time
8. Genome Concatenation and Controlled Division: the Final Steps
9. Natural Selection and Major Evolutionary Transitions
2. Abiotic Chemistry, Physicochemical Selection, and the First Steps Toward Life
3. Membranes and the Critical Role of Containment
4. Defeating Chemical Equilibrium and the Rise of Chemical Complexity
5. Catalysis and Molecular Selection: the RNA World Hypothesis
6. From the RNA World to the DNA Genetic Code
7. Controlling Chemistry: Metabolism and Systemic Time
8. Genome Concatenation and Controlled Division: the Final Steps
9. Natural Selection and Major Evolutionary Transitions
ISBN:
9780443335440
Page Count:
300
Retail Price
:
Students in undergraduate courses on Cellular Biology