Origins

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)

• Origin & Evolution of Life.- The Fact of Life.- Historical Review of the Origin of Life and Astrobiology.- In the Beginning.- The Standard Scenario.- The Chemistry of Life’s Origins.- Prebiotic Amphiphilic Compounds.- Theoretical and Computational Approaches to the Study of the Origin of Life.- The HCN World.- The Possible Role of Volcanic Lightning in Chemical Evolution.- Chemistry in Prebiotic Aerosols: A Mechanism for the Origin of Life.- Alternatives to the Standard Scenario.- Prebiotic Interplay Between Fatty Acids and Amino Acids in Hydrothermal Environments.- The Role of Clays in the Origin of Life.- Organomineralization.- The First Steps of Biological Evolution.- Role of Nucleotide-Like Coenzymes in Primitive Evolution.- Cosmic Thermobiology.- Paradigm Completion for Generalized Evolutionary Theory with Application to Epistemology.- The First Cells.- The Outlines Of Bacterial Evolution.- Cell Wall Structures of Mesophilic, Thermophilic and Hyperthermophilic Archaea.- PotentialRole of Dissimilatory Iron Reduction in the Early Evolution of Microbial Respiration.- The Evolution of Lipids in Prokaryotes.- Calcium Build-up in the Precambrian Sea.- The Viral Eukaryogenesis Theory.- Extremophiles & Biodiversity.- To The Extremophiles.- Alkalithermophiles: A Double Challenge From Extreme Environments.- Halophilic Microorganisms: Physiology and Phylogeny.- Adaptation of Bacteria to the Terrestrial Permafrost Environment.- Phototrophic Bacteria Under UV Stress.- Importance of Chemolithotrophy for Early Life on Earth: The Tinto River (Iberian Pyritic Belt) Case.- Glacial Periods on Early Earth and Implications for the Evolution of Life.- The Evolutionary Ecology of Species Diversity in Stressed and Extreme Environments.- Microbial Diversity in Meso-Neoproterozoic Formations, with Particular Reference to the Himalaya.- Microbial Biodiversity within the Vibrionaceae.- Distribution & Destiny of Life in the Universe.- Comets and the Origin of Life on the Primitive Earth.-Evaluating Comets as A Source of Earth’s Water.- From Microbial Fossils to Astrobiology.- Organisms in Extreme Environments: From the Origin and Early Evolution of Life on Earth to Astrobiology.- A Brief Geological History of Water on Mars.- Evolution of the Martin Water Inventory.- Possible Biogeochemical Cycles on Titan.- Astrobiology’s Last Frontiers.