Life itself : its origin and nature

Online version:

1. Times and distances, large and small

2. The cosmic pageant

3. The uniformity of biochemistry

4. The general nature of life

5. Nucleic acids and molecular replication

6. The primitive earth

7. A statistical fallacy

8. Other suitable planets

9. Higher civilizations

10. How early could life have started?

11. What would they have sent?

12. The design of the rocket

13. The two theories contrasted

14. Fermi's question reconsidered

15. Why should we care?

Appendix: The genetic code