A majority of evolutionary biologists believe that we now can
envision our biological predecessors not the first, but nearly the
first, living beings on Earth. "Life from an RNA World" is about
these vanished forebears, sketching them in the distant past just
as their workings first began to resemble our own. The advances
that have made such a pursuit possible are rarely discussed outside
of bio-labs. So here, says author Michael Yarus, is an album for
interested non-biologists, an introduction to our relatives in deep
time, slouching between the first rudimentary life on Earth and the
appearance of more complex beings.
The era between, and the focus of Yarus work, is called the RNA
world. It is RNA (ribonucleic acid) long believed to be a mere
biologic copier and messenger, that offers us this glimpse into our
ancient predecessors. To describe early RNA creatures, here called
ribocytes or RNA cells, Yarus deploys some basics of molecular
biology. He reviews our current understanding of the tree of life,
examines the structure of RNA itself, explains the operation of the
genetic code, and covers much else all in an effort to reveal a
departed biological world across billions of years between its
heyday and ours.
Courting controversy among those who question the role of
ribocytes citing the chemical fragility of RNA and the uncertainty
about the origin of an RNA synthetic apparatus Yarus offers an
invaluable vision of early life on Earth. And his book makes that
early form of life, our ancestor within, accessible to all of
us.
General
Imprint: |
Harvard University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
March 2011 |
First published: |
2010 |
Authors: |
Michael Yarus
|
Dimensions: |
210 x 140 x 12mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback
|
Pages: |
208 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-674-06071-5 |
Categories: |
Books >
Science & Mathematics >
Biology, life sciences >
General
|
LSN: |
0-674-06071-7 |
Barcode: |
9780674060715 |
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!