Origins: Genesis, Evolution and Diversity of Life (Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology)

Front Matter....Pages 1-1
Introduction....Pages 3-5
The Fact of Life....Pages 6-13
Historical Review of the Origin of Life and Astrobiology....Pages 15-33
In the Beginning....Pages 35-55
Front Matter....Pages 57-57
The Chemistry of Life’s Origins....Pages 59-73
Prebiotic Amphiphilic Compounds....Pages 75-89
Theoretical and Computational Approaches to the Study of the Origin of Life....Pages 91-120
The HCN World....Pages 121-135
The Possible Role of Volcanic Lightning in Chemical Evolution....Pages 139-152
Chemistry in Prebiotic Aerosols: A Mechanism for the Origin of Life....Pages 153-165
Front Matter....Pages 167-167
Prebiotic Interplay Between Fatty Acids and Amino Acids in Hydrothermal Environments....Pages 169-179
The Role of Clays in the Origin of Life....Pages 181-194
Organomineralization....Pages 195-212
Front Matter....Pages 213-213
Role of Nucleotide-Like Coenzymes in Primitive Evolution....Pages 215-231
Cosmic Thermobiology....Pages 233-248
Paradigm Completion for Generalized Evolutionary Theory with Application to Epistemology....Pages 249-260
Front Matter....Pages 261-261
The Outlines Of Bacterial Evolution....Pages 263-279
Cell Wall Structures of Mesophilic, Thermophilic and Hyperthermophilic Archaea....Pages 281-298
Potential Role of Dissimilatory Iron Reduction in the Early Evolution of Microbial Respiration....Pages 299-313
The Evolution of Lipids in Prokaryotes....Pages 315-328
Front Matter....Pages 261-261
Calcium Build-up in the Precambrian Sea....Pages 329-345
The Viral Eukaryogenesis Theory....Pages 347-367
Front Matter....Pages 369-369
Introduction To The Extremophiles....Pages 371-396
Alkalithermophiles: A Double Challenge From Extreme Environments....Pages 395-412
Halophilic Microorganisms: Physiology and Phylogeny....Pages 413-426
Adaptation of Bacteria to the Terrestrial Permafrost Environment....Pages 427-444
Phototrophic Bacteria Under UV Stress....Pages 445-461
Importance of Chemolithotrophy for Early Life on Earth: The Tinto River (Iberian Pyritic Belt) Case ....Pages 463-480
Glacial Periods on Early Earth and Implications for the Evolution of Life....Pages 483-501
The Evolutionary Ecology of Species Diversity in Stressed and Extreme Environments....Pages 505-514
Microbial Diversity in Meso-Neoproterozoic Formations, with Particular Reference to the Himalaya....Pages 517-530
Microbial Biodiversity within the Vibrionaceae....Pages 533-548
Front Matter....Pages 547-547
Comets and the Origin of Life on the Primitive Earth....Pages 549-565
Evaluating Comets as A Source of Earth’s Water....Pages 571-591
From Microbial Fossils to Astrobiology....Pages 595-605
Organisms in Extreme Environments: From the Origin and Early Evolution of Life on Earth to Astrobiology....Pages 607-620
A Brief Geological History of Water on Mars....Pages 621-631
Evolution of the Martin Water Inventory....Pages 633-643
Possible Biogeochemical Cycles on Titan....Pages 645-665
Astrobiology’s Last Frontiers....Pages 667-679