Items related to The Spark Of Life: Darwin And The Primeval Soup
Synopsis
Where did we come from? Though researchers have done much work on this question in recent years, the answer remains elusive. In The Spark of Life , Christopher Wills and Jeffrey Bada examine the enduring mysteries surrounding life's origin: Did life arise on earth or on some other planet? What did the earliest primitive organisms look like? Were they based on RNA, DNA, or on something we would hardly recognize today? Untangling a century of contentious debate, the authors explore current theories of "the source"-from Martian meteors to hydrothermal vents-and then present their own elegant and compelling scenario: Life arose not in the subterranean depths, as many believe, but on Earth's tumultuous surface, where a primitive form of natural selection spawned the first genetic material, perhaps in the form of a proto-virus. The book ends with a whirlwind tour of one of the most exciting scientific endeavors: the search for extraterrestrial life. Knowing exactly how life began on Earth will not only teach us more about ourselves, it will bring us much closer to finding life elsewhere.
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Reviews
Few scientific mysteries are as fascinating as the origin of life. Wills and Bada's book measures up to the subject's high interest. Both biologists, they ably relate the course of research since Stanley Miller and Harold Urey famously created amino acids in a test tube in 1953. The biochemistry of the primordial goo has since become better understood, as has the physical environment of the early earth. Wills and Bada's dramatic account of the forces at work during Earth's first billion years--huge tides due to the nearby moon, volcanism, a turbulent atmosphere, and an ocean of a composition that can only be postulated--makes the emergence of self-replicating molecules, let alone reproducing organisms, seem improbable indeed. Researchers attack the problem both from the bottom up, by trying to synthesize a system with self-replicating properties, and from the top down, by discerning how the biochemicals of the cell (ATP, RNA, proteins, etc.) function together. A tour of the exobiological potential of the solar system caps this lively presentation. Gilbert Taylor
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The Spark Of Life: Darwin And The Primeval Soup
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The Spark of Life : Darwin and the Primeval Soup
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The Spark of Life : Darwin and the Primeval Soup
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The Spark Of Life: Darwin And The Primeval Soup
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Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Missing dust jacket; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0738201960I4N01
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The Spark of Life: Darwin and the Primeval Soup
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Perseus Books Group, Cambridge, MA, 2000
ISBN 10: 0738201960
ISBN 13: 9780738201962
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Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. VG+/VG+. 291 pp. DJ very lightly rubbed with shallow edge curling, creasing. No other defects. Very nice reading, research copy. Seller Inventory # 0270
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The Spark Of Life: Darwin And The Primeval Soup
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Hardcover. Condition: Good. torn/chipped dj, some wear, still NICE - may have remainder mark or previous owner's name Standard-sized. Seller Inventory # 0738201960-01
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The Spark Of Life: Darwin And The Primeval Soup
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hardcover. Condition: Acceptable. This is a used book. It may contain highlighting/underlining and/or the book may show heavier signs of wear . It may also be ex-library or without dustjacket. This is a used book. It may contain highlighting/underlining and/or the book may show heavier signs of wear . It may also be ex-library or without dustjacket. Seller Inventory # mon0000629409
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The Spark of Life: Darwin and the Primeval Soup
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Perseus Books Group, Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., 2000
ISBN 10: 0738201960
ISBN 13: 9780738201962
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Seller: Adagio Books, Longmont, CO, U.S.A.
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Hardcover. Condition: As New. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. Book is new. D/J shows shelfwear and small tear, upper edge, rear cover. Presents the latest thinking from the frontiers of science, rich in anecdote and crystal clear in its explanations of even the most complex phenomena. Illustrated. Seller Inventory # 1163-2
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The Spark of Life: Darwin and the Primeval Soup
Published by
Cambridge, MA: Perseus Publishing, 2000, Cambridge, MA, 2000
ISBN 10: 0738201960
ISBN 13: 9780738201962
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Seller: Virg Viner, Books2222222, Minneapolis, MN, U.S.A.
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Hard Cover. Condition: Near Fine. No Printing Stated. Hard Cover. Near Fine/Near Fine. No Printing Stated. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. In seeking the answers to such questions as "Where did we come from?," "Did life arise on earth or another planet?," and "What did the earliest primitive organisms look like?," the authors take us on a mind-expanding journey -- back in time, across the globe and through the solar system in search of extraterrestrial life. 291 pages including index. B&W and color photos. Super nice copy. Seller Inventory # 003745
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The Spark of Life Darwin and the Primeval Soup
Published by
Perseus Publishing, Cambridge MA, 2000
ISBN 10: 0738201960
ISBN 13: 9780738201962
Used
Hardcover
Seller: Chequamegon Books, Washburn, WI, U.S.A.
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Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. ".presents the latest thinking from the frontiers of science. Rich in anecdote and crystal clear in its explanations of even the most complex phenomena, it is an important book on one of humankind's most enduring questions." 291 pages; 6 1/4 x 9 3/8" Near Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. Seller Inventory # 13340