Genesis - In The Beginning: Precursors of Life, Chemical Models and Early Biological Evolution (Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology, 22)

**Genesis – In The Beginning** deals with the origin and diversity of Life and early biological evolution and discusses the question of where (hot or cold sources) and when the beginning of Life took place. Among the sections are chapters dealing with prebiotic chemical processes and considering self-replication of polymers in mineral habitats. One chapter is dedicated to the photobiological regime on early Earth and the emergence of Life. This volume covers the role of symmetry, information and order (homochrial biomolecules) in the beginning of Life. The models of protocells and the genetic code with gene transfer are important topics in this volume. Three chapters discuss the Panspermia hypothesis (to answer “Are we from outer Space?”). Other chapters cover the Astrobiological aspects of Life in the Universe in extraterrestrial Planets of the Solar System and deal with cometary hydrosphere (and its connection to Earth). We conclude with the history and frontiers of Astrobiogy. Front Matter....Pages i-xxxix Front Matter....Pages 1-1 The Prebiotic Chemistry of Alternative Nucleic Acids....Pages 3-33 Cooptive Evolution of Prebiotic Chemical Networks....Pages 35-53 Origin and Evolution of Self-Replicating Polymers on Mineral Habitats....Pages 55-66 Mathematical Models of Prebiotic Replication of Informational Molecules....Pages 67-88 Life Without Carbon....Pages 89-106 [GADV]-Protein World Hypothesis on the Origin of Life....Pages 107-121 Reality of the Emergence of Life-Like Systems from Simple Prebiotic Polymers on Primitive Earth....Pages 123-144 The Photobiological Regime in the Very Early Earth and the Emergence of Life....Pages 145-155 Prebiotic Formation of Peptides: A Markov Chain Approach....Pages 157-169 Atomic Structural Templates of the Earliest Life on Earth: Vibration and Lightning Experiments with Quartz and Amino Acids....Pages 171-177 The Chemical Evolution in Open Space: A Link to the Origin of Life....Pages 179-200 The Prebiotic Chemistry of Nitrogen and the Origin of Life....Pages 201-216 Front Matter....Pages 217-217 Moving “Far from Equilibrium” in a Prebiotic Environment: The Role of Maxwell’s Demon in Life Origin....Pages 219-236 Life from Interface....Pages 237-252 Breaking the Paradigm: The Pattern of Life....Pages 253-266 Cyberbiogenesis and the EvoGrid: A Twenty-First Century Grand Challenge....Pages 267-288 Constructive Approaches for the Origin of Life....Pages 289-303 Origin of Life by Thermodynamic Inversion: A Universal Process....Pages 305-320 Life Explained by Heat Engines....Pages 321-344 Computational Simulations of Prebiotic Processes....Pages 345-362 Front Matter....Pages 217-217 Comets, Information, and the Origin of Life....Pages 363-389 In Situ High Spatial Resolution Techniques in the Search for the Origin of Life....Pages 391-411 Front Matter....Pages 413-413 Disorder to Order, Nonlife to Life: In the Beginning There Was a Mistake....Pages 415-435 The Role of Information and Order in the Origin of Life....Pages 437-468 The Origin of First Peptides on Earth: From Amino Acids to Homochiral Biomolecules....Pages 469-489 Chemical Models for the Origin of Biological Homochirality....Pages 491-508 Absolute Asymmetric Synthesis and the Origin of Biological Chirality....Pages 509-523 Energy-Driven Evolution of Prebiotic Chiral Order (Lessons from Dynamic Systems Modeling)....Pages 525-545 Front Matter....Pages 547-547 Recurrent Dreams of Life in Meteorites....Pages 549-590 Are We from Outer Space?....Pages 591-619 Origin of Life and Panspermia....Pages 621-649 Front Matter....Pages 651-651 The Dimeric Proto-Ribosome Within the Modern Ribosome....Pages 653-668 Oceanic Arginine Translator: The Origin of Life and Early Evolution of the Genetic Code....Pages 669-690 Tidal Cycling and the Origin of the Genetic Code: Implications for Cellular Life....Pages 691-707 Heterotrophic Model Protocells....Pages 709-722 A Symbiogenic Way in the Origin of Life....Pages 723-742 Horizontal Gene Transfer and the Tree of Life....Pages 743-755 On the Vesicular Origin of the Cell Cycle....Pages 757-773 Hypothesized Microenvironments for the Origin of Microbial Life on Earth....Pages 775-795 Front Matter....Pages 797-797 What Can Life on Earth Tell Us About Life in the Universe?....Pages 799-815 Front Matter....Pages 797-797 Potential for Life in the Saturn System....Pages 817-833 Energy Sources for, and Detectability of, Life on Extrasolar Planets....Pages 835-857 Habitable Environments by Extremophiles on Earth, the Solar System, and Elsewhere....Pages 859-870 Front Matter....Pages 871-871 Cultural Implications of the Search and Eventual Discovery of a Second Genesis....Pages 873-890 The Concept of Chemical Evolution Before Oparin....Pages 891-906 A History of Origin of Life Ideas from Darwin to NASA....Pages 907-921 Back Matter....Pages 923-934 Origins of life : keeping options open / Alan W. Schwarz The prebiotic chemistry of alternative nucleic acids / H. James Cleaves II and J.L. Bada Cooptive evolution of prebiotic chemical networks / C. Fernando and V. Vasas Origin and evolution of self-replicating polymers on mineral habitats / E. Gallori and S. Branciamore Mathematical models of prebiotic replication of informational molecules / K. Harris and I.A. Chen Life without carbon / R. Hengeveld (GADV)-protein world hypothesis on the origin of life / K. Ikehara Reality of the emergence of lifelike systems from simple prebiotic polymers on primitive earth / K. Kawamura The photobiological regime in the very early earth and the emergence of life / O. Martín et al. Prebiotic formation of peptides : a Markov chain approach / F.G. Mosqueira et al. Atomic structural templates of the earliest life on earth : vibration and lightning experiments with quartz and amino acids / M. Pawlikowski The chemical evolution in open space : a link to the origin of life / M. Simakov The prebiotic chemistry of nitrogen and the origin of life / D.P. Summers Moving "far from equilibrium" in a prebiotic environment : the role of Maxwell's demon in life origin / D.L. Abel Life from interface / K. Ariga et al. Breaking the paradigm : the pattern of life / T. Barbalet Cyberbiogenesis and the evogrid : a twenty-first century grand challenge / B. Damer et al. Constructive approaches for the origin of life / N. Ichihashi et al. Origin of life by thermodynamic inversion : a universal process / V. Kompanichenko Life explained by heat engines / Anthonie W.J. Muller Computational simulations of prebiotic processes / A. Rimola et al. Comets, information, and the origin of life / Robert B. Sheldon In situ high spatial resolution techniques in the search for the origin of life / D. Wacey Disorder to order, nonlife to life : in the beginning there was a mistake / E. Di Mauro et al. The role of information and order in the origin of life / B. Roy Frieden and R.A. Gatenby The origin of first peptides on earth : from amino acids to homochiral biomolecules / T. Jakschitz et al. Chemical models for the origin of biological homochirality / M. Klussmann Absolute asymmetric synthesis and the origin of biological chirality / G. Lente Energy-driven evolution of prebiotic chiral order (lessons from dynamic systems modeling) / R. Popa and Vily M. Cimpoiasu Recurrent dreams of life in meteorites / R. Gordon and J.C. McNichol Are we from outer space? : a critical review of the panspermia hypothesis / J.C. McNichol and R. Gordon Origin of life and panspermia / C. Wickramasinghe The dimeric proto-ribosome within the modern ribosome / I. Agmon Oceanic arginine translator : the origin of life and early evolution of the genetic code / R.W. Griffith Tidal cycling and the origin of the genetic code : implications for cellular life / R. Lathe Heterotrophic model protocells / C. Del Bianco and S.S. Mansy A symbiogenic way in the origin of life / L. Pereira et al. Horizontal gene transfer and the tree of life / J. Sapp On the vesicular origin of the cell cycle / S. Svetina Hypothesized microenvironments for the origin of microbial life on earth / J.T. Trevors et al. What can life on earth tell us about life in the universe? / Charles H. Lineweaver and A. Chopra Potential for life in the Saturn system / F. Raulin Energy sources for, and detectability of, life on extrasolar planets / J.A. Raven et al. Habitable environments by extremophiles on earth, the solar system, and elsewhere / J. Seckbach and J. Chela-Flores Cultural implications of the search and eventual discovery of a second genesis / R. Aretxaga-Burgos and J. Chela-Flores The concept of chemical evolution before Oparin / F. Raulin-Cerceau A history of origin of life ideas from Darwin to NASA / J.E. Strick. This book deals with the Origin of Life on Earth and planets, which is currently a very "hot" topic dealt with at several international meetings, conferences and workshops by various societies and groups. The current volume is number 22 of the "Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology" series (COLE) published by Springer. The contributors review new data in this field, following current studies from gene and molecular to macro levels. The extremophiles - microorganisms living at the edge of Life under very severe conditions (from our anthropocentric view point) - may point out possibilities of existing Life forms on other planets and satellites. In eight sections and fifty chapters, the seventy-five authors cover subjects such as chemical evolution, the function of geophysics in Life's origin, the first steps of cellular evolution, Panspermia (the theory claiming that the source of Life is not from Earth but from Outer Space), possibility of extraterrestrial Life (Astrobiology), and the history of origin of Life on Earth and beyond. This up-to-date book complements volume 6 (Origin Genesis, Evolution and Diversity of Life (2004) in the COLE series (ISBN: 978-1-4020-1813-8) published by Kluwer Academic Publishers. Professor D. Deamer ends his Introduction with these words: Future progress in understanding the origin of life will involve simulations of prebiotic conditions that take this complexity into account. Some of the chapters in this book focus on specific aspects of the chemical and physical processes that would be involved in life's origins, while others incorporate increments in complexity such as mineral surfaces and compartments. In a sense, each chapter represents a piece of a puzzle, and readers who take the time to read all the chapters may see unexpected patterns emerge that will give clues to solving the puzzle. The primary audience for this book are general biologists, geologists, geneticists, astrobiologists and astrophysicists, and advance undergraduate and graduate students, researchers and teachers in those fields