First Steps In The Origin Of Life In The Universe

Proceedings of the Sixth Trieste Conference on Chemical Evolution, Trieste, Italy, 18-22 September 2000

How Did Life Begin? There are two scientific views on the origins of life: 1) Earthly-Abiogenesis which argues life on Earth began on Earth, and 2) Extraterrestrial Abiogenesis the position of which is life has an ancestry which predates the origins of Earth, and is pervasive throughout the cosmos. Thus, both theories embrace abiogenesis" and both argue that life may have begun on innumerable planets via the same mechanisms. In this ground-breaking, revolutionary text, over 30 top scientists from around the world, explain how life began and if there is life on other worlds, in over 20 paradigm busting chapters. PART I: Earthly Abiogenesis & the Origins of Life 1. Why Does Life Start, What Does It Do, Where Will It Be, And How Might We Find It? Michael J. Russell, Ph.D., and Isik Kanik, Ph.D., 2. Just Like the Universe the Emergence of Life had High Enthalpy and Low Entropy Beginnings, Wolfgang Nitschke, Ph.D., and Michael J. Russell, Ph.D. 3. Polyphosphate-Peptide Synergy and the Organic Takeover at the Emergence of Life. E. James Milner-White, Ph.D., and Michael J. Russell, Ph.D. 4. The Alkaline World and the Origin of Life. Anthony Richard Mellersh, Ph.D., and Paul Michael Smith, 5. Amino Acid Homochirality and the RNA World: Necessities for Life on Earth, Koji Tamura, Ph.D., 6. The RNA World and the Origin of Life: An Ancient Protein Fold Links Metal-Based Gas Reactions with the RNA World. Anne Volbeda, Ph.D., Yvain Nicolet, Ph.D., and Juan C. Fontecilla-Camps, Ph.D. 7. Evolutionary Steps to the Origin of Life on Earth. Andrew J. Pratt, D. Phil. 8. Vesicles First and the Origin of Self-Reproductive Life: Metabolic Energy, Replication, and Catalysis. Arthur L. Koch, Ph.D., 9. Chance or Necessity? Bioenergetics and the Probability of Life. Nick Lane, Ph.D. 10. Disequilibrium First: The Origin of Life Christof B. Mast, Ph.D., Natan Osterman, Ph.D., and Dieter Braun, Ph.D. 11. Life's Origins: Potential for Radical Mediated Cyanide Production on the Early Earth, Shawn E. McGlynn, Ph.D., Trevor E. Beard, Joan B. Broderick, Ph.D., and John W. Peters, Ph.D. 12. The Emergence of Life: Thermodynamics of Chemical Free Energy Generation in Off-Axis Hydrothermal Vent Systems & Consequences for Compartmentalization & Life's Origins. Eugenio Simoncini, Ph.D., Axel Kleidon, Ph.D., Enzo Gallori, Ph.D. 13. How Life Began: The Emergence of Sparse Metabolic Networks, Shelley D. Copley, Ph.D., Eric Smith, Ph.D., and Harold J. Morowitz, Ph.D., 14. Redox Homeostasis in the Emergence of Life. On the Constant Internal Environment of Nascent Living Cells, John F. Allen, Ph.D. 15. Reconstruction of the Molecular Origin of Life. Edward N. Trifonov, Ph.D., 16. How Primordial Cells Assembled Biosynthetic Pathways, Marco Fondi, Ph.D., Giovanni Emiliani, Ph.D., Renato Fani, Ph.D., 17. On the Emergence of Pre-Genetic Information. Ernesto Di Mauro, Ph.D., 18. Implications For An RNA-Clay World: Interaction Of Cytosine With Clay Minerals, A. Pucci, Ph.D., et al. 19. Viruses and Life: Can There Be One Without the Other? Matti Jalasvuori, Ph.D., and Jaana K.H. Bamford, Ph.D., 20. The Origin of Eukaryotes: Archae, Bacteria, Viruses and Horizontal Gene Transfer, R. Joseph, Ph.D. 21. What Can the Origin of Life on Earth Tell Us About the Cosmos? Stephen Freeland, Ph.D., and Gayle K. Philip, Ph.D. PART II: Extra-Terrestrial Abiogenesis 22. 1. Biological Cosmology and the Origins of Life in the Universe, R. Joseph, Ph.D., Rudolf Schild, Ph.D 23. First Life in the Oceans of Primordial-Planets: The Biological Big Bang. C.H. Gibson, Ph.D., N.C. Wickramasinghe, Ph.D., R.E. Schild, Ph.D 24. Genetics Indicates Extra-Terrestrial Origins of Life: the First Gene. R. Joseph, Ph.D., Rudolf Schild, Ph.D., N.C. Wickramasinghe, Ph.D.,

This edition of Science and Creationism summarizes key aspects of several of the most important lines of evidence supporting evolution. It describes some of the positions taken by advocates of creation science and presents an analysis of these claims. This document lays out for a broader audience the case against presenting religious concepts in science classes. The document covers the origin of the universe, Earth, and life; evidence supporting biological evolution; and human evolution. (Contains 31 references.) (CCM)

Sir Isaac Newton famously said, regarding his discoveries, "If I have seen further it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants." The Evolving Universe and the Origin of Life describes, complete with fascinating biographical details of the thinkers involved, the ascent to the metaphorical shoulders accomplished by the greatest minds in history. For the first time, a single book can take the reader on a journey through the history of the universe as interpreted by the expanding body of knowledge of humankind. From subatomic particles to the protein chains that form life, and expanding in scale to the entire universe, this book covers the science that explains how we came to be. The Evolving Universe and the Origin of Life contains a great breadth of knowledge, from astronomy to physics, from chemistry to biology. It includes over 350 figures that enhance the comprehension of concepts both basic and advanced, and is a non-technical, easy-to-read text at an introductory college level that is ideal for anyone interested in science as well as its history.

"The first part discusses the origins of everything, from the Big Bang to humankind. It follows the long course of evolution - from original matter to the formation of more complex structures, from the furthest galaxies to the nearest stars, from planets to organic molecules, from the first and most elementary forms of life through to the reptiles, the dinosaurs and the advent of man. The second part traces the history of the Earth and evaluates the risks of extinction in the future as predicted by scientists. Is the Earth the only habitable planet in the Universe? This question initiates the discussion on the importance of the Earth's position in the solar system and the significance of our geologically alive planet. The final part is dedicated to the search for extraterrestrial beings with identifiable life forms. It also describes attempts for searching, from the past to the near future." --Publisher's website.

In his groundbreaking first book, FIVE AGES OF THE UNIVERSE, Fred Adams established the five eras of the universe from birth to demise. Now, he gives us a stunning new perspective on how the laws of physics created our non-random universe and life itself. This handful of laws resulted in the big bang, which led to stars, galaxies and then to solar systems with planets such as Earth. That process was absolutely necessary for all the tiny chemical structures and vast landscapes required for life to emerge. One of Adams's amazing claims is that organisms did not evolve in a primodial soup in a pond on the Earth's surface, but rather one of many such structures in the vast cosmic landscape. In seven chronological chapters, Adams takes the reader from the general subjects of physics and the universe to the specific origins of life on earth - showing clearly how energy flowed, exploded and was harnessed in replicating organisms. He reveals how the evolution of the universe followed a clear path toward the emergence of life. His insight provides an answer to humankind's deepest anxiety - we are almost certainly not alone in the universe - and throws a whole new light on our identity and beliefs. Life wasn't a lucky break, but the result of physics.

Genesis – In The Beginning deals with the origin and diversity of Life and early biological evolution and discusses the question of where (hot or cold sources) and when the beginning of Life took place. Among the sections are chapters dealing with prebiotic chemical processes and considering self-replication of polymers in mineral habitats. One chapter is dedicated to the photobiological regime on early Earth and the emergence of Life. This volume covers the role of symmetry, information and order (homochrial biomolecules) in the beginning of Life. The models of protocells and the genetic code with gene transfer are important topics in this volume. Three chapters discuss the Panspermia hypothesis (to answer “Are we from outer Space?”). Other chapters cover the Astrobiological aspects of Life in the Universe in extraterrestrial Planets of the Solar System and deal with cometary hydrosphere (and its connection to Earth). We conclude with the history and frontiers of Astrobiogy.

This classic of biochemistry offered the first detailed exposition of the theory that living tissue was preceded upon Earth by a long and gradual evolution of nitrogen and carbon compounds. "Easily the most scholarly authority on the question...it will be a landmark for discussion for a long time to come." — New York Times.