Assembling Life
In Assembling Life, David Deamer tackles some of the most pressing topics in the field of life origins research. How did non-living organic molecules come together to generate the first forms of primitive cellular life, for example? What was the source of those substances and the energy that allowed the first nucleic acids to be formed? Is it more likely that life began in the ocean or in fresh water on land? Is it possible that life began on Mars?
The book gives an outline of the early Earth's circumstances four billion years ago and explains why fresh water hot springs are a viable alternative to salty saltwater as a possible place for life to begin. Deamer discusses his research into organic chemicals that may have been present in the primordial environment, as well as the volcanic circumstances that might drive chemical development toward the birth of life. The book is not just focused on Earth, but also analyses if life may have originated elsewhere in our solar system. Deamer does not speculate on how life began because we can never know for sure. Instead, he wants to know how life can start on every habitable planet, with Earth being the only known example thus far.
