Overview

In this book forty eminent scientists examine the astrobiological origins of life and the emergence of biodiversity in extreme environments. The coverage includes extremophiles: microbes living in hostile conditions of high temperature, psychrophilic, UV radiation, and halophilic environments. Also discussed are the origin and history of Martian water, and the possible biogeochemistry inside Titan.

Full Product Details

Author:   Joseph Seckbach
Publisher:   Springer
Imprint:   Springer
Edition:   Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2004
Volume:   6
ISBN:  

9789401742566

ISBN 10:   9401742561
Pages:   709
Publication Date:   14 July 2005
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Foreword, Leslie E. Orgel; Preface, Joseph Seckbach; Acknowledgements, Joseph Seckbach; List of Authors and their Adresses; Legends for the Cover Photo; I. Origin & Evolution of Life. Introduction, Joseph Seckbach; The Fact of Life, Philip Morrison; Historical Review of the Origin of Life and Astrobiology, Florence Raulin-Cerceau; In the Beginning, Louis Lerman and Jacqueline Teng; II. The Standard Scenario. The Chemistry of Life's Origins, Andre Brack; Prebiotic Amphiphilic Compounds: Self-Assembly and Properties of Early Membrane Structures, David W. Deamer; Theoretical and Computational Approaches to the Study of the Origin of Life, Daniel Segre and Doron Lancet; The HCN World: Establishing Protein-Nucleic Acid Life via Hydrogen Cyanide Polymers, Clifford Matthews; The Possible Role of Volcanic Lightning in Chemical Evolution, Rafael Navarro-Gonzalez and Antigona Segura; Chemistry in Prebiotic Aerosols: a Mechanism for the Origin of Life, Heikki Tervahattu, Adrian F. Tuck and Veronica Vaida; III. Alternatives to the Standard Scenario. Prebiotic Interplay between Fatty Acids and Amino Acids in Hydrothermal Environments, Koichiro Matsuno; The Role of Clays in the Origin of Life, Alicia Negron-Mendoza and Sergio Ramos-Bernal; Organomineralization: A Clue to the Understanding of Meteorite-Related 'Bacteria-Shaped' Carbonate Particles, Joachim Reitner; IV. The First Steps of Biological Evolution. Role of Nucleotide-Like Coenzymes in Primitive Evolution, Mikhail S. Kritsky and T.A. Telegina; Cosmic Thermobiology: Thermal Constraints on the Origin and Evolution of Life in the Universe, Charles H. Lineweaver and David W. Schwartzman; Paradigm Completion for Generalized Evolutionary Theory with Application to Epistemology, Yuval Ne'eman; V. The First Cells. The Outlines of Bacterial Evolution, Radhey S. Gupta; Cell Wall Structures of Mesophilic, Thermophilic and Hyperthermophilic Archaea, Helmut Koenig, Harald Claus and Erol Akca; Potentional Role ofDissimilatory Iron Reduction in the Early Evolution of Microbial Respiration, Derek R. Lovley; The Evolution of Lipids in Prokaryotes, Y.H. Itoh and T. Itoh; Calcium Build-up in the Precambrian Sea: A Major Promoter in the Evolution of Eukaryotic Life, Jozef Kazmierczak and S. Kempe; The Viral Eukaryogenesis Theory, P.J.L. Bell; VI. Extremophiles & Biodiversity. Introduction to the Extremophiles, Joseph Seckbach and Aharon Oren; Alkalithermophiles: A Double Challenge form Extreme Environments, V.V. Kevbrin, Christopher S. Romanek and J. Wiegel; Halophilic Microorganisms: Physiology and Phylogeny, Aharon Oren; Adaptation of Bacteria to the Terrestrial Permafrost Environment: A Biomodel for Astrobiology, Vera S. Soina and E.A. Vorobyova; Phototrophic Bacteria and UV Stress, Richard W. Castenholz; Importance of Chemolithotrophy for Early Life on Earth: The Tinto River (Iberian Pyritic Belt) Case, R. Amils, E. Gonzalez-toril, F. Gomez, D. Fernandez-Remolar, N. Rodriguez, M. Malki, J. Zuluaga, A. Aguilera, L.A. Amaral-Zettler; Glacial Periods on Early Earth and Implications for the Evolution of Life, Warwick F. Vincent, Derek Mueller, Patrick van Hove and Clive Howard-Williams; The Evolutionary Ecology of Species Diversity in Stressed and Extreme Environments, Dan Cohen; Microbial Diversity in Meso-Neoproterozoic Formations, with Particular Reference to the Himalaya, Vinod Chandra Tewari; Microbial Biodiversity within the Vibrionacean, Michele K. Nishiguchi and Bryan W. Jones; VII. Distribution & Destiny of Life in The Universe. Comets and the Origin of Life on the Primitive Earth, Joan Oro; Evaluating Comets as a Source of Earth's Water, Humberto Campins, Timothy D. Swindle and David A. Kring; From Microbial Fossils to Astrobiology, Jan Toporski and Andrew Steele; Organisms in Extreme Environments: From the Origin and Early Evolution of Life on Earth to Astrobiology, David A Wharton; A Brief Geological History of Water on Mars, Victor R. Baker;

Reviews

From the reviews: This hefty volume ... is the sixth in a series dealing in cellular origin and life in extreme habitats and astrobiology. ... Thus, it covers an enormous range of topics ... . The advantages ... include a topicality and a constant reminder of the many exciting frontiers under active investigation. ... it contains a number of excellent reviews ... . In conclusion, this book is a must for all students of astrobiology ... . (Simon Conway Morris, Geological Magazine, Vol. 142 (2), 2005)

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