1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910819202403321

Autore

Dyson Freeman J.

Titolo

Origins of life / / Freeman Dyson

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cambridge : , : Cambridge University Press, , 1999

ISBN

1-107-11114-5

1-280-15348-2

9786610153480

0-511-11699-3

0-511-14954-9

0-511-32261-5

0-511-54630-0

0-511-05083-6

Edizione

[Second edition.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (ix, 100 pages) : digital, PDF file(s)

Disciplina

576.8/3

Soggetti

Life - Origin

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. 93-95) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Illustrious Predecessors -- Experiments and Theories -- A Toy Model -- Open Questions.

Sommario/riassunto

How did life on earth originate? Did replication or metabolism come first in the history of life? In this book, Freeman Dyson examines these questions and discusses the two main theories that try to explain how naturally occurring chemicals could organize themselves into living creatures. The majority view is that life began with replicating molecules, the precursors of modern genes. The minority belief is that random populations of molecules evolved metabolic activities before exact replication existed. Dyson analyzes both of these theories with reference to recent important discoveries by geologists and chemists. His main aim is to stimulate experiments that could help to decide which theory is correct. This second edition covers the enormous advances that have been made in biology and geology in the past and the impact they have had on our ideas about how life began. It is a clearly-written, fascinating book that will appeal to anyone interested



in the origins of life.