Download or read book Clay Minerals and the Origin of Life written by Alexander Graham Cairns-Smith and published by CUP Archive. This book was released on 1986-12-18 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume is the edited proceedings of a conference seeking to clarify the possible role of clays in the origin of life on Earth. At the heart of the problem of the origin of life lie fundamental questions such as: What kind of properties is a model of a primitive living system required to exhibit and what would its most plausible chemical and molecular makeup be? Answers to these questions have traditionally been sought in terms of properties that are held to be common to all contemporary organisms. However, there are a number of different ideas both on the nature and on the evolutionary priority of 'common vital properties', notably those based on protoplasmic, biochemical and genetic theories of life. This is therefore the first area for consideration in this volume and the contributors then examine to what extent the properties of clay match those required by the substance which acted as the template for life.
Download or read book Clay Minerals in Nature written by Marta Valaskova and published by BoD – Books on Demand. This book was released on 2012-09-12 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Clay is an abundant raw material which has a variety of uses and properties depending on their structure and composition. Clay minerals are inexpensive and environmentally friendly naturally occurring nanomaterials, thanks to their 1 nm thick silicate layers, in all types of sediments and sedimentary rocks. The book chapters have been classified according to their characteristics in topics and applications. Therefore, in the first section five chapters is dedicated to the characterization and utilization of clay minerals in deposits. The second section includes four chapters about the significance of clay minerals in soils. Third section is devoted to different aspects of clay minerals research, especially to the characterization of structure and modifications for their application.
Download or read book Chemical Evolution and the Origin of Life written by Horst Rauchfuss and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-10-15 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Mineral Surfaces written by D. Vaughan and published by Springer. This book was released on 1995 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 30% discount for members of The Mineralogical Society of Britain and Ireland This text summarises the state-of-the-art in the study of mineral surfaces and some of the key applications of surface science in mineralogy and mineral chemistry. Each chapter covers a particular aspect of the subject and is written by an expert who raises the key issues involved for those requiring an introduction to the subject, whilst highlighting most recent developments. Advanced undergraduates, postgraduates and researchers alike will find this essential reading as it is the first book to review the fast developing field of mineral surfaces.
Download or read book Fourth Symposium on Chemical Evolution and the Origin and Evolution of Life written by Robert A. Jr Wharton and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This symposium was held at the NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California July 24-27, 1990. The NASA Exobiology principal investigators reported their recent research findings. Scientific papers were presented in the following areas: cosmic evolution of biogenic compounds, prebiotic evolution (planetary and molecular), early evolution of life (biological and geochemical), evolution of advanced life, solar system exploration, and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).
Download or read book Geochemistry and the Origin of Life written by Satoru Nakashima and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Chemical Evolution Origin Of Life written by Julian Chela-Flores, PhD and published by A. Deepak Publishing. This book was released on 1992-12-31 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book addresses some important open questions in this interdisciplinary field of research. In spite of its broad scope, ranging from the earliest evidence of life on earth to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, the main focus is on chemical evolution. Once the macromolecules of life were formed, the evolution of the earliest life forms enhanced the importance of chirality. This led to the highly asymmetric environment of the macromolecules of the living cell the hallmark of life itself. The subject of chirality, in particular, is discussed in depth: the status of the weak force as the only true chiral influence is presented. A substantial number of papers review both the theoretical as well as the experimental basis of the origin of biochirality. A second broad area discussed in detail is the RNA world. Some successes of this hypothesis are highlighted; the hierarchy of previous evolutionary stages leading to the origin of life, such as the pyrophosphate world, are considered. The question is raised whether useful hints may still be inferred from molecular fossils existing in contemporary cells. Contents The Origin, Evolution, and Distribution of Life in the Universe C. Ponnamperuma Chemical Origin and Early Evolution of Biological Energy Conversion H. Baltscheffsky Phosphate in Models for Chemical Evolution G. Arrhenius, B. Gedulin and Mojzsis Evolution in an RNA World P. Schuster Small Pathogenic RNAs of Plants: Living Fossils of the RNA World? T.O. Diener The Weak Force and the Origin of Life A.J. MacDermott The Origin of Chirality, the Role of Phase Transitions and Their Induction in Amino Acids A. Salam Spontaneous Regulating Mechanisms That May Have Led to the Origin of Life J. Chela-Flores Chirality and the Origin of Life R. Navarro Gonzalez, R.K. Khanna and C. Ponnamperuma >Search for Phase Transitions Changing Molecular Chirality A. Figureau, E. Duval and A. Boukenter Theoretical and Experimental Studies on the Possibility of Chirality Dependent Time Direction in Molecules A.S. Garay Extraterrestrial Intelligences J. Heidmann Discussion Sessions Biochemical Markers in Precambian Sediments--Indian Subcontinent S.S. Rane, A.V. Patankar, M.S. Chadha, B. Udayraj and S.M. Naqvi Practicabilities and Limits of Stereospecific Autocatalysis: An Experimental Approach T. Buhse, W. Thiemann, D. Lavabre and J.-C. Micheau Ionizing Radiation and Chemical Processing of Waters on Early Earth I.G. Draganic and S.I. Vujosevic Chemical Effects of Ionizing Radiation and Sonic Energy in the Context of Chemical Evolution A. Negron-Mendoza and G. Albarran Differences in Radiolysis Behavior of D,L-Amino Acid in Primary Stage and Thermodynamic Equilibrium State W.Q. Wang, J.L. Wu and J. Jiang Experimental Searches for the Origin of Biomolecular Asymmetry L. Keszthelyi True and False Chirality L.D. Barron Chiral Interaction and Biomolecular Evolution G. Gilat Chiral Forces and Molecular Dissymmetry R. Mohan Viroids and Viruses at the Origin of Organized Life L.J. Boya and P. Boya The Role of Neoteny and Sociogenesis in the Evolution of Cell Structure V.J.A. Novak
Download or read book The Origin of Clay Minerals in Soils and Weathered Rocks written by Bruce B. Velde and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-07-18 with total page 407 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Of huge relevance in a number of fields, this is a survey of the different processes of soil clay mineral formation and the consequences of these processes concerning the soil ecosystem, especially plant and mineral. Two independent systems form soil materials. The first is the interaction of rocks and water, unstable minerals adjusting to surface conditions. The second is the interaction of the biosphere with clays in the upper parts of alteration profiles.
Download or read book Chemical Evolution Physics of the Origin and Evolution of Life written by Julian Chela-Flores and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 398 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Leading researchers in the area of the origin and evolution of life in the universe contributed to Chemical Evolution: Physics of the Origin and Evolution of Life. This volume provides a review of this interdisciplinary field. In 35 chapters many aspects of the origin of life are discussed by 90 authors, with particular emphasis on the early paleontological record: physical, chemical, biological, and informational aspects of life's origin, instrumentation in exobiology and system exploration; the search for habitable planets and extraterrestrial intelligent radio signals. This book contains the proceedings of the Fourth Trieste Conference on Chemical Evolution that took place in September 1995, in which scientists from a wide geographical distribution joined in a Memorial to Cyril Ponnamperuma, who was a pioneer in the field of chemical evolution, the origin of life, and exobiology, and also initiated the Trieste Conferences on Chemical Evolution and the Origin of Life. This fourth Conference was therefore dedicated to his memory. Audience: Graduate students and researchers in the many areas of basic, earth, and life sciences that contribute to the study of chemical evolution and the origin of life.
Download or read book Prebiotic Chemistry written by Peter Walde and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2005-10-13 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Fourth Symposium on Chemical Evolution and the Origin and Evolution of Life written by Robert Andrew Wharton (Jr.) and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Origin and Early Evolution of Life Prebiotic Chemistry of Biomolecules written by Michele Fiore and published by MDPI. This book was released on 2019-10-29 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Studying the origin of life is one of man’s greatest achievements over the last sixty years. The fields of interest encompassed by this quest are multiple and interdisciplinary: chemistry, physics, biology, biochemistry, mathematics, geology but also statistics, atmospheric science, meteorology, oceanography, and astrophysics. Recent scientific discoveries, such as water on Mars and the existence of super-Earths with atmospheres similar to primordial Earth, have pushed researchers to simulate prebiotic conditions in explaining the abiotic formation of molecules essential to life. This collection of articles offers an overview of recent discoveries in the field of prebiotic chemistry of biomolecules, their formation and selection, and the evolution of complex chemical systems.
Download or read book Encyclopedia of Astrobiology written by Muriel Gargaud and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-07-27 with total page 3376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now in its third edition the Encyclopedia of Astrobiology serves as the key to a common understanding in the extremely interdisciplinary community of astrobiologists. Each new or experienced researcher and graduate student in adjacent fields of astrobiology will appreciate this reference work in the quest to understand the big picture. The carefully selected group of active researchers contributing to this work are aiming to give a comprehensive international perspective on and to accelerate the interdisciplinary advance of astrobiology. The interdisciplinary field of astrobiology constitutes a joint arena where provocative discoveries are coalescing concerning, e.g. the prevalence of exoplanets, the diversity and hardiness of life, and its chances for emergence. Biologists, astrophysicists, (bio)-chemists, geoscientists and space scientists share this exciting mission of revealing the origin and commonality of life in the Universe. With its overview articles and its definitions the Encyclopedia of Astrobiology not only provides a common language and understanding for the members of the different disciplines but also serves for educating a new generation of young astrobiologists who are no longer separated by the jargon of individual scientific disciplines. This new edition offers ~170 new entries. More than half of the existing entries were updated, expanded or supplemented with figures supporting the understanding of the text. Especially in the fields of astrochemistry and terrestrial extremophiles but also in exoplanets and space sciences in general there is a huge body of new results that have been taken into account in this new edition. Because the entries in the Encyclopedia are in alphabetical order without regard for scientific field, this edition includes a section “Astrobiology by Discipline” which lists the entries by scientific field and subfield. This should be particularly helpful to those enquiring about astrobiology, as it illustrates the broad and detailed nature of the field.
Download or read book Evolutionary Biology Exobiology and Evolutionary Mechanisms written by Pierre Pontarotti and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-07-03 with total page 295 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents 19 selected contributions to the 16th Evolutionary Biology Meeting, which took place in September 2012 in Marseilles. The aims of these annual meetings, which gather together leading evolutionary biologists and other scientists, are to promote the exchange of ideas and to encourage interdisciplinary collaborations. The first chapter deals with the history of a great discovery: The first experiments on ascidian and sea urchin egg fertilization. The remaining contributions are grouped under the following categories: · Evolutionary biology concepts · Exobiology and the origin of life · Evolutionary mechanisms Offering an up-to-date overview of recent findings in the field of evolutionary biology, this book is an invaluable source of information for scientists, teachers and advanced students.
Download or read book The Molecular Origins of Life written by André Brack and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1998-12-28 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This 199 book reviews discoveries in astronomy, paleontology, biology and chemistry to help us to understand the likely origin of life on Earth.
Download or read book The Genetic Mechanism and the Origin of Life written by Lawrence Dillon and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 567 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As shown in the text, there can be little doubt that the genetic mechanism is, for all practical purposes, equivalent to life itself. Consequently, it is unrealistic to seek knowledge of the origin of life and its subsequent evolution without si multaneously searching for an understanding of how this apparatus arose and evolved. Fortunately, the annual publication over the recent years of thousandS" of papers dealing with the genetic processes has brought the state of knowledge to a level where a synthesis of their major details in relation to life's history is feasible. Because of the voluminous body of literature, no single book can pos sibly treat all the ramifications of this fundamental subject; subdivision into multiple volumes is necessary. This volume, the first of a trilogy, explores the molecular aspects of the problem in connection with the precellular aspects up to the point of the origin of the cell. The second, currently in progress, is con cerned with the subsequent evolution of the cell as revealed by the energy related organelles and their genetic apparatuses and by ultrastructural details of other cellular parts. The third volume, as presently planned, deals with devel opmental, immunological, and other complexities at the organismic level and, in so doing, throws additional light on basic properties of the genetic processes themselves. Thus, the genetic apparatus provides the warp, and evolution the woof, of the intricate fabric that emerges.
Download or read book Bioverse written by William B. Miller and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2022-10-15 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For as long as humans have been on Earth, we have looked up to the stars for clues to our own existence. Medical doctor and evolutionary biologist William B. Miller, Jr. suggests that we may find more meaningful solutions at the end of a microscope rather than a telescope. Using powerful analogies and exacting science, Bioverse explores the wonders of the perpetual partnership between our personal cells and the microbial world, resulting in an entirely new view of our living planet. To understand life in all its varieties, we must undertake to understand our cells. While the partnership between our cells and our microbes has largely been thought of as that of “host” and “guest,” Millerrevealsthetrue partnership under which both our microbial fraction and our own personal cells conduct a life-long dialogue, redefining our traditional conceptions of intelligence and problem-solving. This radical new approach explains exactly how our human choices are centered within the same cellular rules that enable our cells to seamlessly sustain our lives. We are now entering the “Era of the Cell,” a time in history during which medical and scientific innovations have spurred growth far beyond ever imagined by our ancestors. For the first time, we are not only building machines to enhance our lives but engineering living organisms to assist our futures. From the biological origins of evolution to the invention of the compound microscope by a Dutch lens maker in the 17th century, to new research that reveals surprising links between our microbiome and our moods and behavior, and surprising stories of the cellular world from the deepest oceans, wildest jungles, and outer reaches of our solar system, Millerintroduces readers to a greater understanding of our impact on the planet and the world’s reciprocal impact on each of us. By exploring the extent of our deeply integrated cellular world, Bioverse provides profound insights about ourselves, our health and well-being, our social systems, and our permanent relationship to the planet and the cosmos.
