The genesis quest : the geniuses and eccentrics on a journey to uncover the origin of life on Earth
Michael Marshall (Author)
How did life begin? Why are we here? These are some of the most profound questions we can ask. For almost a century, a small band of eccentric scientists has struggled to answer these questions and explain one of the greatest mysteries of all: how and why life began on Earth. There are many different proposals, and each idea has attracted passionate believers who promote it with an almost religious fervor, as well as detractors who reject it with equal passion. But the quest to unravel life's genesis is not just a story of big ideas. It is also a compelling human story, rich in personalities, conflicts, and surprising twists and turns. Along the way the journey takes in some of the greatest discoveries in modern biology, from evolution and cells to DNA and life's family tree. It is also a search whose end may finally be in sight. In The Genesis Quest, Michael Marshall shows how the quest to understand life's beginning is also a journey to discover the true nature of life, and by extension our place in the universe
History
1 online resource (viii, 360 pages)
9780226715377, 022671537X
1202452548
Introduction
Part One. Primordial science. 1. The biggest question
2. A Soviet free thinker
3. Creation in a test tube
Part Two. Strange objects. 4. The DNA revolution
5. Crystal clear
6. The schism
Part Three. Scattered, divided, leaderless. 7. The other long molecule
8. Rise of the replicators
9. The blobs
10. The need for power
11. Born in the depths
Part Four. Reunification. 12. Mirrors
13. Return of the blobs
14. Just messy enough
Epilogue: The meaning of life
Acknowledgments
Bibliography
Notes
Index