The Emergence of Life: From Chemical Origins to Synthetic Biology
In prebiotic times—that is, before the emergence of the first life-form—the bricks would have to form spontaneously from chemicals present in the environment.
Thomas R. Cech • The Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life's Deepest Secrets
the steps leading to the transition from no-life to a living protocell: The synthesis and accumulation of small organic molecules, including amino acids and nucleotides. Phosphates are also important, given that they are the backbone of RNA and DNA. The joining of such ingredients into larger molecules, such as proteins and nucleic acids. The aggre
... See moreMarcelo Gleiser • The Dawn of a Mindful Universe: A Manifesto for Humanity's Future
assembly theory, a way of differentiating life from nonlife, not by its chemistry but by its complexity.
Jaime Green • The Possibility of Life: Science, Imagination, and Our Quest for Kinship in the Cosmos
The phase transition proposed from non-alive to alive has to be more intricate and only truly visible when you investigate the hierarchy of information flow: