The Origins of Life

by David W. Deamer (Editor), Jack W. Szostak, Alex. A. Rich

Life arose on Earth more than three billion years ago. How the first self-replicating systems emerged from prebiotic chemistry and evolved into primitive cell-like entities is an area of intense research, spanning molecular and cellular biology, organic chemistry, cosmology, geology, and atmospheric science.

Written and edited by experts in the field, this collection from Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology provides a comprehensive account of the environment of the early Earth and the mechanisms by which the organic molecules present may have self-assembled to form replicating material such as RNA and other polymers. The contributors examine the energetic requirements for this process and focus in particular on the essential role of semi-permeable compartments in containment of primitive genetic systems. Also covered in the book are new synthetic approaches for fabricating cellular systems, the potentially extraterrestrial origin of life’s building blocks, and the possibility that life once existed on Mars. Comprising five sections DS Setting the Stage, Components of First Life, Primitive Systems, First Polymers, and Transition to a Microbial World DS it is a vital reference for all scientists interested in the origin of life on Earth and the likelihood that it has arisen on other
planets

Genres: Science, Evolution, Nonfiction, Biology, History, Physics, Geology

318 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

David Wilson Deamer (born April 21, 1939) is an American biologist and Research Professor of Biomolecular Engineering at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Deamer has made contributions to the field of membrane biophysics. His work led to a novel method of DNA sequencing and a more complete understanding of the role of membranes in the origin of life.

He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1985, which supported research at the Australian National University in Canberra to investigate organic compounds in the Murchison meteorite. He served as the president of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life from 2013 to 2014.

Reviews

[Ricardo Moreno Mauro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este es un tema que me apaciona y estoy trabajando en el. Si no esres un especialista en cincia o si lo eres pero quieres una visón amplis del origen de la vida. El autor es un reputado conocer. Da una visión clara con un lenguaje para un público conocerdor el detam, pero para el científico entrega datos que son dificiles de obtener.

Me gustó mucho, además que bastante corto.

[Damián Lima · Rating 4 out of 5]

Por su vocabulario técnico, sus conceptos complejos y sus explicaciones poco amigables el libro oscila en el borde entre la divulgación científica y la ciencia pura y dura. Recomendable para quienes ya tengan conocimiento previo sobre temas científicos, especialmente biología, astronomía y astrobiología, o para quienes verdaderamente estén muy pero muy interesados por el tema y tengan la paciencia de quemarse las pestañas para comprender cada párrafo de hipótesis y conclusiones complejas. Más allá de todo esto y del formato poco amigable para el no iniciado, la premisa principal del libro es novedosa, interesante y está bien justificada: la idea, resumiendo de forma ligera la cuestión, es que el pasaje de lo no vivo (moléculas orgánicas) hacia lo vivo (células primitivas con capacidad de emplear energía y reproducirse y mil cosas más) no se habría producido en las profundidades oceánicas como una vez se creyó (tanto el agua salada como la inmensidad del lugar son elementos hostiles a reacciones importantes), sino en charcas de agua dulce formadas por lluvias en regiones anexas a volcanes activos, sitios ideales para la concentración de elementos y nutrientes que reaccionan en un lugar acotado lleno de energía; la idea es que se produjeron ciclos de desecación y de humedad constantes que hicieron evolucionar a las moléculas, produjeron la encapsulación de los componentes, y con algo así como 500 millones de años de reacciones azarosas... ¡BAM!... vida.

[Douglas Perry, PhD · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a concise and clear introduction to the general principles and conditions that must underlie abiogenesis, even though the actual mechanism of abiogenesis is as yet unknown. The reader need not know physics and biology to understand the book, but such knowledge would serve as a good foundation for appreciating the concepts presented. I enjoyed this book so much that I intend to form a reading group around it.

[Jessica Kuzmier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good basic overview and comprehensive thought experiment about how life came to be on planet Earth. Simple yet intelligent language explaining the chemical processes that led to what we are today, with creative yet plausible hypotheses.

[Wing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and concise, this book uses the Hot Spring Hypothesis as a model to discuss the requirements for the abiotic to become alive. These include compartmentation, entropy favourable self-assembly, autocatalysis, progenote, homeostasis – among many others. Professor Deamer is succinct, authoritative, and perspicuous. The lay reader will gain a good grasp of the main concepts. I recommend Smith and Morowitz for further understanding of the topic – this is indeed included in the bibliography. The paperback edition does not include the colour plates, so some imagination will be needed but that is certainly not a hurdle at all. Four stars.