ENGLISH

Stardust, Supernovae and the Molecules of Life: Might We All Be Aliens?

Book information

Publisher
Springer-Verlag New York
Year
2012
ISBN
9781461413325, 146141332X
DOI
10.1007/978-1-4614-1332-5
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
2 MB (2066727 bytes)
Series
Astronomers' universe
Edition
1
Pages
215\227
Library
Kolxo3
Time added
2013-04-15 18:00:00

Description

Where were the amino acids, the molecules of life, created: perhaps in a lightning storm in the early Earth, or perhaps elsewhere in the cosmos? This book argues that at least some of them must have been produced in the cosmos, and that the fact that the Earthly amino acids have a specific handedness provides an important clue for that explanation. The book discusses several models that purport to explain the handedness, ultimately proposing a new explanation that involves cosmic processing of the amino acids produced in space. The book provides a tour for laypersons that includes a definition of life, the Big Bang, stellar nucleosynthesis, the electromagnetic spectrum, molecules, and supernovae and the particles they produce.

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