1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910299393403321

Autore

Nakazawa Hiromoto

Titolo

Darwinian Evolution of Molecules : Physical and Earth-Historical Perspective of the Origin of Life / / by Hiromoto Nakazawa

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Singapore : , : Springer Singapore : , : Imprint : Springer, , 2018

ISBN

981-10-8724-5

Edizione

[1st ed. 2018.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (XIV, 143 p. 40 illus., 1 illus. in color.)

Collana

Advances in Geological Science, , 2524-3829

Disciplina

550

Soggetti

Geobiology

Astrobiology

Historical geology

Paleontology 

Evolutionary biology

Biogeosciences

Historical Geology

Paleontology

Evolutionary Biology

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di contenuto

Preface -- The Dynamic Earth: A Recent Concept Necessary for the Study of the Origin of Life -- Why did Life Generate? Why does Life Evolve? Physical Perspective of the Origin of Life -- What is the Ultimate Ancestor? Evidence from Fossils and Gene Analyses -- “Miller-Urey Experiment” in the Recent Picture of the Early Earth -- Origin of Organic Molecules and Natural Selection of Bioorganic Molecules -- Molecular Evolution in Deep Subterranean Regions -- The last stage of molecular evolution to the birth of life: Individuals, metabolism, and heredity -- Summary: The Evolutionary Phylogenetic Tree of the Earth’s Light Elements. .

Sommario/riassunto

On the basis of thermodynamic considerations and the Earth’s historical processes, this book argues the physical inevitability of life’s generation and evolution, i.e., Why did life generate? Why does life evolve? Following an introduction to the problem, the hypothesis “Darwinian Evolution of Molecules” is proposed, which explains how,



when, and where life was instigated through successive chemical reactions and the survival of selected molecules. The individual processes described are all scientifically reasonable, being verifiable by experiment. The hypothesis is supported by extensive reference to the scientific literature published in academic journals, including some experimental reports from the author’s own research group. The readers of this book will learn that the decreasing temperature of the early Earth led to a reduction in its entropy, inducing the Earth’s materials to order, which entailed ordering of the light elements as organic molecules with subsequent further ordering (i.e., evolution) to systems that can be considered alive (i.e., life). Researchers and students, as well as the non-academic audience, interested in the interdisciplinary problem of the origin of life will find suggestions and possible approaches to the scientific and conceptual problems they may be facing.