Beginnings of Cellular Life

Description

In this book an internationally renowned scientist presents a radically new theory of the origin of life on Earth 4 billion years ago. Harold J. Morowitz postulates that the first step toward the origin of life was the spontaneous condensation of amphiphilic molecules to form vesicles (or protocells). This hypothesis provides a framework for reexamining the emergence of cellularity. Morowitz further proposes that core metabolic processes have not changed for some 3.8 billion years, so we can use a study of modern biochemistry to advance our knowledge about the chemical processes of the earliest protocells. Morowitz views origin of life issues from the perspective of certain constructs in the philosophy of science that provide guideposts to formulating and assessing hypotheses. This book presents a unique discussion among origin-of-life books on the relation between science and epistemology on the difficult problem of learning about the very distant past. CONTENTS PREFACE 1. THE NATURE OF THE PROBLEM 2. THE STUDY OF ORIGINS 3. THE TOP-DOWN APPROACH 4. GENERALIZATION S FROM CONTEMPORARY BIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY 5. THE MINIMAL CELL 6. THE BOTTOM-UP APPROACH 7. CHEMICAL ELEMENTS, HYDROPHOBICITY, AND STRUCTURE 8. THE LOGIC OF REPLICATION 9. ENERGY, COMPLEXITY , AND ORGANIZATION 10. UNDERLYING CHEMICAL MECHANISMS 11. NETWORKS 12 LESSONS FROM CONTEMPORARY BIOCHEMISTRY 13 THE SCENARIO APPENDIX: AN EXPERIMENTAL TEST REFERENCES INDEX