With the accelerating pace of genomic analysis and space exploration, the field of prebiotic evolution and astrobiology is poised for a century of unprecedented advances ahead, and there is a need for textbooks for students. The authors of this book, aware of the difficulty of covering the multifaceted subject by any single author, have decided to

This book collects three outstanding examples of the work of Mexican biologist Alfonso Luis Herrera (1868-1943), a pioneer in experimental origins of life research. Two of the collected works appear here in English for the first time. Herrera's works represent the attempt to deal experimentally with the issue of an autotrophic origin of life, a possibility that was widely accepted prior to Alexander I. Oparin's ideas regarding the possibility of organic synthesis and the origin of life in ...

The Universe and Me is his most ambitious work to date. A tour de force, this book represents a synthesis of at least a dozen separate scientific disciplines, including cosmology, physics, chemistry, microbiology, paleobiology, paleoclimatology, paleontology, botany, optics, mammology, primatology, anthropology and the history of science. All of these skillfully and woven together into a fabric of great charm. This is, literally, the greatest story ever told. It is our story. The story of ...

The Periodic Table is one of the most recognizable images in science - and in our culture. Its 118 elements make up everything on our planet and in the entire universe.But how many of us actually know how to interpret its distinctive design? And what does its unique arrangement tell us about the behaviour of each element in the world around us?The Periodic Table looks at the fascinating story and surprising history of each of these...

The Precambrian is the oldest era of Earth's history, and, of its origins (4 billion and 500 million years ago), the appearance of the first invertebrates with exoskeletons (542 million years ago). In this long period of time, the planet, newly formed, was affected by cosmic events and geological shocking that border on the limits of imagination.

The Latest Scientific Discoveries Point to an Intentional CreatorMost of us remember the basics from science classes about how Earth came to be the only known planet that sustains complex life. But what most people don't know is that the more thoroughly researchers investigate the history of our planet, the more astonishing the story of our existence becomes. The number and complexity of the astronomical, geological, chemical, and biological features recognized as ...

You may be asking "why does a primary teacher like me need to know anything about science? Is there any chance of my enjoying this book if I am not a scientific nerd?" Fair questions. Here are the answers. Our general aim in writing this textbook material was to provide some basic knowledge about how science works. After all, we live in a very science-oriented and techno world, and it would be nice, surely, to understand a bit about how it all works. We are also wanting...

Origins - The Universe, Everything and Evolution, has been adapted for mini eBook format for your reading enjoyment.This mini eBook contains material from A History Of Life On Earth, first published in 2012, by Bruce Alpine and is the first part of a series of adaptations by this author, designed for a quick read while travelling or relaxing.The biggest question ever asked was: Where did everything come from? That question has been answered. Origins - The Universe, Everythi...

"Delightful alchemy: Curt Stager transforms atomic science into lustrous, golden stories about the hidden connections that unite us all." —David George Haskell, two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of The Forest UnseenWhat do atoms have to do with your life? In Your Atomic Self, scientist Curt Stager reveals how they connect you to some of the most amazing things in the universe.You will follow your oxygen atoms through fire and water...

Patterns are everywhere in nature - in the ranks of clouds in the sky, the stripes of an angelfish, the arrangement of petals in flowers. Where does this order and regularity come from? It creates itself. The patterns we see come from self-organization. Whether living or non-living, scientists have found that there is a pattern-forming tendency inherent in the basic structure and processes of nature, so that from a few simple themes, and the repetition of simple rules, endless beautiful va...

"Easily digested nuggets of the most up-to-date scientific information provided by scientists well-versed in their fields. . . . engaging and readable." — Publishers WeeklyWhy is the night sky dark? How do dolphins sleep without drowning? Why do hangovers occur? Will time travel ever be a reality? What makes a knuckleball appear to flutter? Why are craters always round?There's only one source to turn to for the answers to the most ...

Why do living things and physical phenomena take the form they do? D'Arcy Thompson's classic On Growth and Form looks at the way things grow and the shapes they take. Analysing biological processes in their mathematical and physical aspects, this historic work, first published in 1917, has also become renowned for the sheer poetry of its descriptions. A great scientist sensitive to the fascinations and beauty of the natural world tells of jumping fleas and slipper limpets; of buds and seed...