Life from an RNA World
The Ancestor Within
$53.34
- Paperback
208 pages
- Release Date
18 March 2011
Summary
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 in…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780674060715 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0674060717 |
| Author: | Michael Yarus |
| Publisher: | Harvard University Press |
| Imprint: | Harvard University Press |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 208 |
| Release Date: | 18 March 2011 |
| Weight: | 245g |
| Dimensions: | 140mm x 210mm |
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Critics Review
Yarus captivates with skilled character development – but here, the characters are the prebiotic molecules that gave rise to everything that has ever lived or is alive today on our planet.
Life from an RNA World is an unconventional book about RNA. Rather than opening with the central dogma and attendant teachings on molecular biology, Yarus uses evolution as a gateway. He then takes us on a journey through evolutionary time, concentrating on the roles of the various forms of RNA… [He] is a proficient guide. – Tim Harris * Nature *
Although precise historical details of the particular origin of life on Earth are probably unknowable, most scientists agree that a world existed in which RNA performed the duties of both genes and enzymes. This RNA world in turn evolved into the DNA–RNA–protein world of today. Michael Yarus’s Life from an RNA World offers an engaging introduction to the subject… Recent discoveries make Yarus’s book particularly timely, especially as a light-hearted introduction for scientifically minded readers outside the field. His chatty prose conveys the voice of a tour guide on a journey through the RNA world, introducing essential evolutionary and molecular biology and pointing out must-not-miss attractions. Even members of the origins-of-life community may appreciate his whimsical explanations of familiar phenomena. – Irene A. Chen * Science *
Michael Yarus’ book is a very enjoyable read, be the reader a well informed molecular biologist, or a lay person… Surely this book will highlight and increase the interest in the RNA world; raising the awareness that we are all, after all, the children of RNA. – Michael Ladomery * Chemistry World *
Yarus captivates with skilled character development—but here, the ‘characters’ are the prebiotic molecules that gave rise to everything that has ever lived or is alive today on our planet. – Thomas Cech, Distinguished Professor, University of Colorado–Boulder, and 1989 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry
Michael Yarus
Michael Yarus is Professor Emeritus, Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado.
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