Author Description
Seventy years ago, Erwin Schrodinger posed a profound question: 'What is life, and how did it emerge from non-life?' This problem has puzzled biologists and physical scientists ever since.Living things are hugely complex and have unique properties, such as self-maintenance and apparently purposeful behaviour which we do not see in inert matter. So how does chemistry give rise to biology? What could have led the first replicating molecules up such a path? Now, developments in the emerging field of 'systems chemistry' are unlocking the problem. Addy Pross shows how the different kind of stability that operates among replicating molecules results in a tendency for chemical systems to become more complex and acquire the properties of life. Strikingly, he demonstrates that Darwinian evolution is the biological expression of a deeper, well-defined chemical concept: the whole story from replicating molecules to complex life is one continuous process governed by an underlying physical principle. The gulf between biology and the physical sciences is finally becoming bridged.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates the fundamental physical and chemical principles that bridge the gap between inert matter and the emergence of biological life. Addy Pross, a professor of chemistry, utilizes his expertise in systems chemistry to propose that life is not a separate phenomenon but a logical extension of chemical stability. By examining the transition from simple replicating molecules to complex organisms, the author argues that Darwinian evolution is the biological manifestation of a broader, underlying physical law governing chemical systems.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- An exploration of the transition from non-living chemical systems to self-replicating biological entities.
- An introduction to the principles of systems chemistry and its role in understanding life.
- A synthesis of physical chemistry concepts applied to the study of evolutionary biology.
- A theoretical framework connecting the laws of thermodynamics to the development of complex life forms.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Experts and readers alike note that the text provides a rigorous, accessible bridge between the physical sciences and biology. The prose is considered dense but rewarding for those interested in the chemical foundations of evolutionary theory.
Page Count:
200
Publication Date:
2014-04-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0199687773
ISBN-13:
9780199687770
Science
Life
Physics
Life Biology
Biology
Evolution
Chemistry
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