The Emergence of Life: From Chemical Origins to Synthetic BiologyThe origin of life from inanimate matter has been the focus of much research for decades, both experimentally and philosophically. Luisi takes the reader through the consecutive stages from prebiotic chemistry to synthetic biology, uniquely combining both approaches. This book presents a systematic course discussing the successive stages of self-organisation, emergence, self-replication, autopoiesis, synthetic compartments and construction of cellular models, in order to demonstrate the spontaneous increase in complexity from inanimate matter to the first cellular life forms. A chapter is dedicated to each of these steps, using a number of synthetic and biological examples. With end-of-chapter review questions to aid reader comprehension, this book will appeal to graduate students and academics researching the origin of life and related areas such as evolutionary biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, biophysics and natural sciences. |
Contents
Section 1 | 17 |
Section 2 | 38 |
Section 3 | 41 |
Section 4 | 42 |
Section 5 | 59 |
Section 6 | 63 |
Section 7 | 90 |
Section 8 | 93 |
Section 14 | 145 |
Section 15 | 147 |
Section 16 | 151 |
Section 17 | 161 |
Section 18 | 195 |
Section 19 | 200 |
Section 20 | 206 |
Section 21 | 211 |
Section 9 | 103 |
Section 10 | 108 |
Section 11 | 129 |
Section 12 | 140 |
Section 13 | 144 |
Section 22 | 214 |
Section 23 | 215 |
Section 24 | 224 |
Section 25 | 243 |
Section 26 | 244 |
Other editions - View all
The Emergence of Life: From Chemical Origins to Synthetic Biology P. L. Luisi No preview available - 2006 |
The Emergence of Life: From Chemical Origins to Synthetic Biology Pier Luigi Luisi No preview available - 2010 |
Common terms and phrases
activity Adapted aggregates amino acids amphiphilic anhydride anthropic principle aqueous autocatalytic autopoiesis autopoietic bilayer biological catalytic cellular chains chapter chemical chiral cognition compartments complexity components compounds concentration condensation considered contingency corresponding crystals Deamer definition Earth emergent properties entrapped environment enzymatic enzymes equilibrium evolution example experimental fact field formation genes genome giant vesicles growth homochirality hydrophobic idea illustrated in Figure important inside interaction kinetic control lipid liposomes literature living Luisi macromolecular sequences mechanism membrane mentioned metabolism micellar micelles minimal cell mixture molecular molecules monomers notion nucleic acids nucleotides oleate vesicles oleic acid organic Orgel origin particular pathway peptides polymer polymerization polypeptides POPC liposomes possible prebiotic chemistry principle proteins question reaction replication reverse micelles ribosomal ribozymes RNA world self-assembly self-organization self-replication self-reproduction shown in Figure solution specific spontaneous stereoregularity structure surfactant synthesis template term thermodynamic thermodynamic control vesicles
Popular passages
Page 2 - ... the inference, we think, is inevitable ; that the watch must have had a maker ; that there must have existed, at some time and at some place or other, an artificer or artificers who formed it for the purpose which we find it actually to answer ; who comprehended its construction, and designed its use.
Page 2 - For this reason, and for no other, viz. that, when we come to inspect the watch, we perceive (what we could not discover in the stone) that its several parts are framed and put together for a purpose, eg that they are so formed and adjusted as to produce motion, and that motion so regulated as to point out the hour of the day...
Page 2 - ... several parts are framed and put together for a purpose, eg that they are so formed and adjusted as to produce motion, and that motion so regulated as to point out the hour of the day; that if the...
Page 2 - ... a different size from what they are, or placed after any other manner, or in any other order, than that in which they are placed, either no motion at all would have been carried on in the machine, or none which would have answered the use that is now served by it.
Page 12 - As we look out into the universe and identify the many accidents of physics and astronomy that have worked together to our benefit...
Page 12 - if the rate of expansion one second after the Big Bang had been less by one part in 10'° the universe would have collapsed after a few million years. If it had been greater by one part in 1010 the universe would have been essentially empty after a few million years. In neither case would it have lasted long enough for life to develop.
Page 12 - If the rate of expansion one second after the big bang had been smaller by even one part in a hundred thousand million million, the universe would have recollapsed before it ever reached its present size.
References to this book
The Emergence of Life: From Chemical Origins to Synthetic Biology Pier Luigi Luisi Limited preview - 2006 |