Steps towards Life: A Perspective on Evolution

Eigen, Manfred; Winkler-Oswatitsch, Ruthild; Woolley, Paul

ISBN 10: 019854751X / ISBN 13: 9780198547518

Verlag: Oxford University Press, 1992

Beschreibung

Gently read. May have name of previous ownership, or ex-library edition. Binding tight; spine straight and smooth, with no creasing; covers clean and crisp. Minimal signs of handling or shelving. 100% GUARANTEE! Shipped with delivery confirmation, if youâ re not satisfied with purchase please return item for full refund. Ships USPS Media Mail. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers OTV.019854751X.VG

Bibliografische Details

Titel: Steps towards Life: A Perspective on ...

Verlag: Oxford University Press

Erscheinungsdatum: 1992

Einband: Hardcover

Zustand: very_good

Über diesen Titel

Inhaltsangabe:

Book by Eigen Manfred WinklerOswatitsch Ruthild

Reseña del editor:

Just how far back into our evolutionary history can we extend the ideas of natural selection which were propounded by Charles Darwin in "The Origins of the Species?" Do they apply only to organisms with complex biochemistry and recognizable behaviour?. In this book, already influential in its German language edition, the Nobel Prize winning scientist Manfred Eigen takes Darwin's ideas and applies them to molecules. The result is a fresh insight into the origins of life. The laws of physics have taught us the fundamental importance of "chance"; the laws of chemistry that, if certain pre-requisites are fulfilled, then subsequent events can be predicted precisely. Eigen draws together these fundamental ideas and shows us that life on Earth is the inevitable result of certain chance events that took place in the unique history of our planet. The book is in three parts. The first ten chapters, which form the main text, are introduced by quotations from Thomas Mann's novel "The Magic Mountain". This book is deeply concerned with ideas that Eigen is able to justify scientifically but which were, in 1924, the product of an extraordinarily prescient intellect. Here, as a counterpoint to the scientific text, they challenge us to wonder. In the second part, important biological ideas are presented as the themes of 15 "vignettes" which can be read separately or as elaborations of the subject matter of the main text. These vignettes are illustrated with colour diagrams. The final section contains a summary of the salient points of the history of molecular biology and a glossary of all the technical terms used throughout the book.