Stardust, Supernovae and the Molecules of Life Might We All Be Aliens?
Where were the amino acids, the molecules of life, created: perhaps in a lightning storm in the early Earth, or perhaps elsewhere in the cosmos? This book argues that at least some of them must have been produced in the cosmos, and that the fact that the Earthly amino acids have a specific handednes...
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| Format: | eBook |
| Language: | English |
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New York, NY
Springer New York
2012, 2012
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| Edition: | 1st ed. 2012 |
| Series: | Astronomers' Universe
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | |
| Collection: | Springer eBooks 2005- - Collection details see MPG.ReNa |
| Summary: | Where were the amino acids, the molecules of life, created: perhaps in a lightning storm in the early Earth, or perhaps elsewhere in the cosmos? This book argues that at least some of them must have been produced in the cosmos, and that the fact that the Earthly amino acids have a specific handedness provides an important clue for that explanation. The book discusses several models that purport to explain the handedness, ultimately proposing a new explanation that involves cosmic processing of the amino acids produced in space. The book provides a tour for laypersons that includes a definition of life, the Big Bang, stellar nucleosynthesis, the electromagnetic spectrum, molecules, and supernovae and the particles they produce |
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| Physical Description: | XI, 215 p. 39 illus., 26 illus. in color online resource |
| ISBN: | 9781461413325 |