A Brief History of Creation: Science and the Search for the Origin of Life

Mesler, Bill

ISBN 10: 1504657640 ISBN 13: 9781504657648

Publisher: Blackstone Pub, 2015

Synopsis

The epic story of the scientists through the ages who have sought answers to life s biggest mystery: How did it begin?From the ancient belief that mice sprang from stores of grain to cutting-edge debates in modern science, this is the story of humankind s search for the how of life s creation. The very existence of God has often seemed to hinge on whether life can or cannot spring from nonlife. From Leeuwenhoek s discovery of a teeming world of microbes to Pasteur s defense of divinity, astonishing discoveries and vast achievements have been driven by our obsession with this enduring mystery. A Brief History of Creation beautifully and accessibly narrates the stories of the scientists who dared to address the most challenging question of all.Today debates rage between ventists, who believe life originated in underwater volcanoes, and those who believe that simple organisms self-assembled from ingredients delivered from outer space or formed in the earth s early toxic atmosphere. But even if we soon have the answer, can we ever know why life began?

About this title

Review

A lively, highly readable jaunt through the world of science.

Readers find themselves positioned to share in the intellectual excitement.--Bryce Christentsen

This lively, accessible book is recommended for science enthusiasts interested in origin of life issues and the history of science.

Popular history of the first order.--Michael Giltz

A wonderful new history of debates about the origin of life.--Adam Frank

Engaging . The last chapters take readers on a tour of current research that will both educate and entertain.--Sean B. Carroll, author of Brave Genius and Remarkable Creatures"

With fully accessible and engaging prose, artfully weaving history, philosophy, and science, Bill Mesler and H. James Cleaves II tell what is perhaps the greatest of all scientific stories, the quest to understand the origin of life.--Marcelo Gleiser, Appleton Professor of Natural Philosophy, Dartmouth College, and author of The Island of Knowledge

Far more accurate and up-to-date than any previous work targeted to the general public.--James Strick

A joyous and infinitely readable history of our ongoing quest to know how we came to be. Mesler and Cleaves elegantly narrate the evolution of philosophical and scientific inquiry, infusing the subject with all the dramatic intrigue it deserves and bringing historical figures to life as vividly as characters in a novel. A thrilling read.--Nina Siegal, author of The Anatomy Lesson

A fascinating, fast-paced tour through the ages of how some of the greatest minds and characters in history have pondered one of the greatest questions in science...[A] rich, masterfully woven tale of our still-evolving ideas about life and how it came to be.--Sean B. Carroll, author of Brave Genius and Remarkable Creatures

A well-written and lively account of the science and history behind one of the most fascinating questions in science--how animate matter emerged from inanimate matter--enriched by engaging portraits of the scientists involved and a feel for the very human scientific enterprise at work.--Alan Lightman, Professor of the Practice of the Humanities, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and author of Einstein's Dreams

About the Author

Bill Mesler is a journalist who lives in Washington, DC. H. James Cleaves II is vice president of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life, a professor at the Earth-Life Science Institute in Tokyo, and a visiting scholar at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. He lives in Washington, DC.

Edition details

• Publisher: Blackstone Pub
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1504657640
• ISBN 13: 9781504657648
• Binding: Audio CD