Beginning of Cellular Life Metabolism Recapitulates Biogenesis 1st Edition by Harold Morowitz ISBN 0300102100 9780300102109

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ISBN 10:    0300102100
ISBN 13: 978-0300102109
Author:    Harold J. Morowitz   

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.

Beginning of Cellular Life Metabolism Recapitulates Biogenesis 1st  Table of contents:

• The Nature of the Problem
  Understanding the origins of life is a longstanding pursuit that has intrigued thinkers throughout history. The question of where we come from has captured the curiosity of scientists, scholars, and people of all backgrounds. As a scientist, the belief is that life arose on Earth through processes that can be understood by considering the laws of chemistry and physics applied to complex adaptive systems.

• The Study of Origins
  The beginning of life is one of many major events in the history of the universe, each marked by radical changes. These origins, from the universe itself to the emergence of societies and technologies, are all discontinuous yet share the characteristic of erasing much of the history that preceded them. The emergence of life, reflective thought, and human societies are just a few milestones in this process.

• The Top-Down Approach
  In the top-down approach, one begins with modern-day objects such as fossils, living species, and cellular components and works backward in time to understand the origins of life. Fossil evidence and chemical and isotopic composition offer insights into early life forms, while general biological principles help explain the development of these organisms.

• Generalizations from Contemporary Biology and Biochemistry
  This approach involves extracting generalizations from biological knowledge to understand the universal ancestor—the first group of cells from which all life evolved. The features common to all species today must have been present in these earliest cells, whether passed down vertically or transmitted horizontally through other means.

• The Minimal Cell
  The concept of the “minimal cell” explores the simplest free-living organism that can survive in today’s ecosystem. Prokaryotes, the simplest forms of life, are crucial in understanding minimal cellular life, providing a focus for studying the basic biological principles that must have existed in early life forms.

• The Bottom-Up Approach
  The bottom-up approach looks at the fundamental physical and thermodynamic properties that shape life. Thermodynamics plays a crucial role in understanding the constraints on life and the processes by which living systems evolved from non-living chemical compounds.

• Chemical Elements, Hydrophobicity, and Structure
  This chapter focuses on the atomic composition of living things, exploring how elements like carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur are fundamental to life. The properties of these atoms help explain the formation and function of biological systems, particularly within aqueous environments.

• The Logic of Replication
  A self-replicating entity is one that can take components from its environment and assemble more entities, continuing the replication process. The search for the earliest self-replicating systems involves defining the logical criteria for replication and exploring chemical embodiments of these features.

• Energy, Complexity, and Organization
  Energy from the environment is critical to life, and photosynthesis is an essential process in this context. This chapter discusses the energetic aspects of biogenesis, considering both top-down and bottom-up views of energy flow and the underlying physics that constrain life’s emergence.

• Underlying Chemical Mechanisms
  This chapter examines the chemical properties of essential elements (C, H, N, O, P, S) and their role in both prebiotic and biotic systems. The periodic table provides the basis for understanding the atomic interactions that support cellular life.

• Networks
  The concept of the “universal ancestor” is introduced, which may have been a single cell or a population of cells. Cellular life could have originated multiple times on Earth, with biochemical similarities linking all living organisms today. These similarities provide clues to the evolution of life.

• Lessons from Contemporary Biochemistry
  A thorough understanding of contemporary biochemistry is necessary to explore the origins of biochemical networks. While individual reactions and pathways are well-understood, the complexity of biochemical systems presents challenges in understanding the logic and features of life’s origins.

• The Scenario
  This final chapter combines insights from physics, chemistry, and biology, drawing upon various scientific fields such as astrophysics, geophysics, and paleontology. It discusses the principles and methods used to explore the origin of life, emphasizing the importance of continuity across the evolutionary timeline.

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