A brief history of creation : science and the search for the origin of life

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Title:

A brief history of creation : science and the search for the origin of life

Author:

Mesler, Bill, author.

Cleeves, H. James, II, author.

Summary:

The epic story of the scientists through the ages who have sought answers to life's biggest mystery: How did it begin? -- It is perhaps the most important question science has ever asked. Over the centuries, the search for an answer has been entwined with some of science's most revolutionary advances including van Leeuwenhoek's microscope, Darwin's theory of evolution, and Crick and Watson's unveiling of DNA. Now, in an age of genetic engineering and space exploration, some scientists believe they are on the verge of creating life from nonliving elements and that our knowledge of the potential for life on other planets is ever-expanding. In the midst of these exciting developments, -- Can we ever conclusively prove how life began? A Brief History of Creation is a fascinating exploration not only of the origin-of-life question but of the very nature of scientific objectivity and the process of scientific discovery.

Contents:

By the action of your sun. Ancients ask where life comes from ; Anaximander explains the natural world ; Aristotle writes of "spontaneous generation" -- Provando e riprovando. Francesco Redi and the scientific method ; Van Helmont's recipe for mice ; "All life comes from an egg" -- The eye of a gnat. The Enlightenment transforms science ; Hooke pens Micrographia ; Antonie van Leeuwenhoek discovers the microscopic world -- The laboratory of the atheists. Voltaire subscribes to intelligent design ; Atheists seize upon the origin of life ; Buffon observes "reproduction" -- A vital force. Andrew Crosse's "extraordinary experiment" ; Vitalism and "imponderable fluids" ; Vestiges of the natural history of creation captivates Britain -- Breathed by the creator into a few forms or one. The Beagle sets sail for the Galápagos ; The Origin of species wins converts ; Charles Darwin imagines a "warm little pond" -- Pleasant, though they be deceitful dreams. Pasteur dispels the notion of a "useless God" ; Thomas Huxley grooms a new generation ; The germ theory of disease versus spontaneous generation -- No vestige of a beginning. The earth grows ever older ; J.B.S. Haldane imagines a "half-living" thing ; Alexander Oparin reimagines an ancient planet -- A laboratory earth. Stanley Miller creates the precursors for life ; Scientists flock to exobiology ; NASA enters the origin-of-life game -- The nucleic acid monopoly. Apollo 11 looks for clues on the moon ; Sidney Fox and his proteinoid microspheres ; Crick and Watson discover "the secret of life" -- Life everywhere. An enigmatic Martian rock ; Panspermia recisited ; Life in meteorites? -- One primordial form. The last universal common ancestor ; The Woesian revolution ; Scientists look to undersea vents -- A cell is born. The birth of the RNA world ; Genetic engineering opens doors ; A new gensis? -- Epilogue -- Appendix: Recipes for life.

Physical Description:

xvii, 312 pages : ill. ; 25 cm.

Subject Term:

Life -- Origin -- Research -- History.

Life -- Origin -- Philosophy -- History.

Author(s):

Cleeves, H. James, II,

Publisher:

W. W. Norton & Company,

Publication Date:

2015

ISBN:

9780393083552

Publication Information:

New York : W. W. Norton & Company, 2015.

Call Number:

576.8 MESLER

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003108753	Adult Nonfiction	576.8 MESLER	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

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Summary

In this essential and illuminating history of Western science, Bill Mesler and H. James Cleaves II seek to answer the most crucial question in science: How did life begin? They trace the trials and triumphs of the iconoclastic scientists who have sought to solve the mystery, from Darwin's theory of evolution to Crick and Watson's unveiling of DNA. This fascinating exploration not only examines the origin-of-life question, but also interrogates the very nature of scientific discovery and objectivity.

Author Notes

Bill Mesler is the coauthor of A Brief History of Creation. He lives in Washington, DC.

H. James Cleaves II is vice president of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life, a professor at the Earth-Life Science Institute in Tokyo, and a visiting scholar at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. He lives in Washington, DC.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Journalist Mesler and chemist Cleaves explore how humans have contemplated life's origins over the millennia, and the authors offer a cogent explanation of the best current thinking on the topic in this broad intellectual history. Because they cover so much ground-moving from the Egyptians through the Greeks all the way to the present-they are forced to be somewhat superficial. Nonetheless, across the arc of their engaging story they raise some fascinating points. Throughout, they touch on the controversy between religion and science, such as the way that those in the mid-19th century who attempted to demonstrate that spontaneous generation occurred regularly were seen as anti-Christian materialists. Unsurprisingly, significant time is spent on the work of Charles Darwin, but he is unfairly criticized for not fully addressing the issue of the origin of life-unfair because that was not the question he was attempting to answer. Yet Mesler and Cleaves recognize that Darwin forever transformed the discussion, since after Darwin, "those who once wondered about the first of each species now wondered about a single first ancestor of all of them." The last chapters take readers on a tour of current research that will both educate and entertain. (Dec.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Library Journal Review

From Aristotle to Charles Darwin, and from Louis Pasteur to Francis Crick, numerous philosophers and scientists have struggled with the question of how life first arose. Coauthors Cleaves (visiting scholar, Inst. for Advanced Study, Princeton Univ.), an organic chemist, and Mesler, a journalist, trace the many speculations about the origin of life proposed over time: spontaneous generation, abiogenesis (life from nonlife), extraterrestrial spores, extremophiles (bacteria that inhabit extreme environments) and self-replicating RNA. In telling this story, the authors not only emphasize how our understanding of the origin of life has been a function of the tools and technology available-whether through the invention of the microscope in the 17th century or the discovery of the structure of the DNA molecule in the 20th-but they also reveal how scientific objectivity can be influenced by prevailing religious, political, or professional pressures. The authors' inclusion of an abundance of biographical and historical detail enriches both the science and the scientists. VERDICT This lively, accessible book is recommended for science enthusiasts interested in origin of life issues and the history of science.-CLK © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Preface	p. xi
1 By The Action of Your Sun	p. 1
Ancientsask where life comes from
Anaximander explains the natural world
Aristotle writes of "spontaneous generation"
2 Provando E Riprovando	p. 15
Francesco Redi and the scientific method
Van Helmont's recipe for mice
"All life comes from an egg"
3 The Eye of a Gnat	p. 25
TheEnlightenment transforms science
Hooke pens Micrographia
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek discovers the microscopic world
4 The Laboratory of the Atheists	p. 45
Voltaire subscribes to intelligent design
Atheists seize upon the origin of life
Buffon observes "reproduction"
5 A Vital Force	p. 73
Andrew Crosse's "extraordinary experiment"
Vitalism and "imponderable fluids"
Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation captivates Britain
6 Breathed by the Creator into a Few Forms or One	p. 92
The Beagle sets sail for the Galápagos
The Origin of Species wins converts
Charles Darwin imagines a "warm little pond"
7 Pleasant Though They be Deceitful Dreams	p. 117
Pasteurdispels the notion of a "useless God"
Thomas Huxley grooms a new generation
The germ theory of disease versus spontaneous generation
8 No Vestige of a Beginning	p. 146
The Earth grows ever older
J. B. S. Haldane imagines a "half-living" thing
Alexander Oparin reimagines an ancient planet
9 A Laboratory Earth	p. 172
Stanley Miller creates the precursors for life
Scientists flock to exobiology
NASA enters the origin-of-life game
10 The Nucleic Acid Monopoly	p. 186
Apollo 11 looks for clues on the moon
Sidney Fox and his proteinoid microspheres
Crick and Watson discover "the secret of life"
11 Life Everywhere	p. 210
An enigmatic Martian rock
Panspermia revisited
Life in meteorites?
12 One Primordial Form	p. 223
The last universal common ancestor
The Woesian revolution
Scientists look to undersea vents
13 A Cell is Born	p. 240
The birth of the RNA world
Genetic engineering opens doors
A new genesis?
Epilogue	p. 253
Appendix: Recipes for Life	p. 259
Notes	p. 261
Bibliography	p. 277
Acknowledgments	p. 287
Illustration Credits	p. 289
Index	p. 291

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Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Library Journal Review

Table of Contents