The Spark of Life: Darwin and the Primeval Soup - Softcover

Wills, Christopher; Bada, Jeffrey

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0198662769 ISBN 13: 9780198662761

Publisher: OUP Oxford, 2001

Synopsis

Christopher Wills and Jeffrey Bada examine the enduring mysteries surrounding life's origin: did life arise on Earth or on some other planet? What did the earliest primitive organisms look like? Were they based on RNA, DNA, or on something we would hardly recognize today? The authors examine the latest research - in fields ranging from molecular biology to astronomy - on questions surrounding life's origins. They untangle a century of contentious debate and explore many theories, assessing the probability of everything from asteroids and Martian rocks to 'primordial soup' and volcanic vents. They then present their own elegant and compelling scenario: life arose not in the subterranean depths, as many believe, but on Earth's tumultuous surface, where a primitive form of natural selection spawned the first genetic material, perhaps in the form of a proto-virus. The book ends with a whirlwind tour of one of the most exciting scientific endeavours - the search for extra-terrestial life.

About this title

About the Author

Christopher Wills is Professor of Biology at the University of California at San Diego and winner of the 1999 AAAS Award for Public Understanding of Science and Technology. His books include Yellow Fever, Black Goddess and Children of Prometheus. Jeffrey Bada is Professor of Marine Chemistry and Director of the NASA Specialized Center of Research and Training in Exobiology at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California. An instrument he designed to detect traces of amino acids on Mars was recently selected for a mission to the red planet sometime later this decade.

Edition details

• Publisher: OUP Oxford
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0198662769
• ISBN 13: 9780198662761
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 311