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Worlds in the making; the evolution of the universe
Worlds in the making; the evolution of the universe. 264 Pages.
252 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2008
31 people want to read
About the author
Svante Arrhenius
142 books9 followersSwedish physicist and chemist Svante August Arrhenius won a Nobel Prize of 1903 for his electrolytic theory of dissociation.
People originally referred to this scientist. Arrhenius founded the science. He, the first laureate, received. From 1905, he directed the institute until his death.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svante_...
People originally referred to this scientist. Arrhenius founded the science. He, the first laureate, received. From 1905, he directed the institute until his death.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svante_...
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 10, 2024
THE ORIGINAL BOOK THAT PROPOSED "PANSPERMIA" AS THE ORIGIN OF LIFE ON EARTH
Svante Arrhenius (1859-1927) was a Swedish scientist, and one of the founders of physical chemistry. The Arrhenius equation, the lunar crater Arrhenius, and the Arrhenius Labs at Stockholm University are named after him.
He begins by quoting a popular lecture by the physicist Helmholtz who suggested in a lecture that we "put the question, whether life had a beginning at all, or whether it is not as old as matter, and whether seeds have not been carried from one planet to another and have developed everywhere where they have fallen on a fertile soil." Arrhenius adds, "This hypothesis is called the hypothesis of panspermia, which I have modified by combining it with the thesis of the radiation pressure."
The first two-thirds of the book are purely scientific. He writes, "The electrical phenomena of our terrestrial atmosphere indirectly possess considerable importance for organic life and, consequently, for human beings." "By virtue of this compensating co-operation of gravity and of the radiation pressure of light, as well as of temperature equalization and heat concentration, the evolution of the world can continue in an eternal cycle, in which there is neither beginning nor end, and in which life may exist and continue forever and undiminished."
He quotes with approval the German physician H.E. Richter, who wrote, "We regard the existence of organic life in the universe as eternal. Life has always been there; it has always propagated itself in the shape of living organisms, from cells and from individuals composed of cells." Arrhenius then adds, "And we may become accustomed to the idea that life is eternal, and hence that it is useless to inquire as to its origin."
He suggests, "It is thus probable that germs of the lowest organisms known to us are continually being carried away from the earth and the other planets upon which they exist. As seeds in general, so most of these spores, thus carried away, will no doubt meet death in the cold infinite space of the universe. Yet a small number of spores will fall on some other world, and may there be able to spread life, if conditions be suitable.... In this way life would be transferred from one point of a planetary system, on which it had taken root, to other locations in the same planetary system which favor the development of life."
He concludes with the statement, "There is little probability, though of our ever being able to demonstrate the correctness of this view by an examination of seeds falling down upon our earth. For the number of germs which reach us from other worlds will be extremely limited--not more, perhaps, than a few within a year all over the earth's surface; and those, moreover, will presumably strongly resemble the single-cell spores with which the winds play in our atmosphere. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to prove the celestial origin of any such germs if they should be found contrary to our assumption."
Panspermia has more recently been proposed by Fred Hoyle ('Lifecloud: Origin of Life in the Universe' and 'Diseases from Space') and Francis Crick ('Life Itself').
Svante Arrhenius (1859-1927) was a Swedish scientist, and one of the founders of physical chemistry. The Arrhenius equation, the lunar crater Arrhenius, and the Arrhenius Labs at Stockholm University are named after him.
He begins by quoting a popular lecture by the physicist Helmholtz who suggested in a lecture that we "put the question, whether life had a beginning at all, or whether it is not as old as matter, and whether seeds have not been carried from one planet to another and have developed everywhere where they have fallen on a fertile soil." Arrhenius adds, "This hypothesis is called the hypothesis of panspermia, which I have modified by combining it with the thesis of the radiation pressure."
The first two-thirds of the book are purely scientific. He writes, "The electrical phenomena of our terrestrial atmosphere indirectly possess considerable importance for organic life and, consequently, for human beings." "By virtue of this compensating co-operation of gravity and of the radiation pressure of light, as well as of temperature equalization and heat concentration, the evolution of the world can continue in an eternal cycle, in which there is neither beginning nor end, and in which life may exist and continue forever and undiminished."
He quotes with approval the German physician H.E. Richter, who wrote, "We regard the existence of organic life in the universe as eternal. Life has always been there; it has always propagated itself in the shape of living organisms, from cells and from individuals composed of cells." Arrhenius then adds, "And we may become accustomed to the idea that life is eternal, and hence that it is useless to inquire as to its origin."
He suggests, "It is thus probable that germs of the lowest organisms known to us are continually being carried away from the earth and the other planets upon which they exist. As seeds in general, so most of these spores, thus carried away, will no doubt meet death in the cold infinite space of the universe. Yet a small number of spores will fall on some other world, and may there be able to spread life, if conditions be suitable.... In this way life would be transferred from one point of a planetary system, on which it had taken root, to other locations in the same planetary system which favor the development of life."
He concludes with the statement, "There is little probability, though of our ever being able to demonstrate the correctness of this view by an examination of seeds falling down upon our earth. For the number of germs which reach us from other worlds will be extremely limited--not more, perhaps, than a few within a year all over the earth's surface; and those, moreover, will presumably strongly resemble the single-cell spores with which the winds play in our atmosphere. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to prove the celestial origin of any such germs if they should be found contrary to our assumption."
Panspermia has more recently been proposed by Fred Hoyle ('Lifecloud: Origin of Life in the Universe' and 'Diseases from Space') and Francis Crick ('Life Itself').
October 23, 2024
Published around 1908, it's fascinating to see what a Nobel Prize winner could speak about at the time. It's even more fascinating to see what the scientific community got wrong, but spoke so confidently about.
The author covers volcanoes, earthquakes, stars, and the universe. Technology today makes it seem near impossible for any earlier time to have such a deep understanding of the way the universe works. In contrast, some things were largely wrong. I recommend this book for science enthusiasts if only to understand that what the world believes is true today may be revealed to not be true tomorrow.
Lastly, this scientist has been credited with cautioning the world about greenhouse gases and climate change. This is a lie, or at least not in relation to this book. At the time of this writing, the author spoke of greenhouse gases as beneficial to mankind because it would increase regions in the world that could grow food and would make colder climates more temperate (page 63).
The author covers volcanoes, earthquakes, stars, and the universe. Technology today makes it seem near impossible for any earlier time to have such a deep understanding of the way the universe works. In contrast, some things were largely wrong. I recommend this book for science enthusiasts if only to understand that what the world believes is true today may be revealed to not be true tomorrow.
Lastly, this scientist has been credited with cautioning the world about greenhouse gases and climate change. This is a lie, or at least not in relation to this book. At the time of this writing, the author spoke of greenhouse gases as beneficial to mankind because it would increase regions in the world that could grow food and would make colder climates more temperate (page 63).
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews