Complex Life

Complex Life Book in PDF, ePub and Kindle version is available to download in english. Read online anytime anywhere directly from your device. Click on the download button below to get a free pdf file of Complex Life book. This book definitely worth reading, it is an incredibly well-written.

Rare Earth

Author : Peter D. Ward,Donald Brownlee
Publisher : Springer
Page : 338 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2007-05-08
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780387218489

Get Book

Rare Earth by Peter D. Ward,Donald Brownlee Pdf

What determines whether complex life will arise on a planet, or even any life at all? Questions such as these are investigated in this groundbreaking book. In doing so, the authors synthesize information from astronomy, biology, and paleontology, and apply it to what we know about the rise of life on Earth and to what could possibly happen elsewhere in the universe. Everyone who has been thrilled by the recent discoveries of extrasolar planets and the indications of life on Mars and the Jovian moon Europa will be fascinated by Rare Earth, and its implications for those who look to the heavens for companionship.

Life: An Introduction to Complex Systems Biology

Author : Kunihiko Kaneko
Publisher : Springer
Page : 374 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 2006-09-14
Category : Science
ISBN : 9783540326670

Get Book

Life: An Introduction to Complex Systems Biology by Kunihiko Kaneko Pdf

This book examines life not from the reductionist point of view, but rather asks the questions: what are the universal properties of living systems, and how can one construct from there a phenomenological theory of life that leads naturally to complex processes such as reproductive cellular systems, evolution and differentiation? The presentation is relatively non-technical to appeal to a broad spectrum of students and researchers.

The Cosmic Zoo

Author : Dirk Schulze-Makuch,William Bains
Publisher : Springer
Page : 232 pages
File Size : 45,7 Mb
Release : 2017-11-18
Category : Science
ISBN : 9783319620459

Get Book

The Cosmic Zoo by Dirk Schulze-Makuch,William Bains Pdf

Are humans a galactic oddity, or will complex life with human abilities develop on planets with environments that remain habitable for long enough? In a clear, jargon-free style, two leading researchers in the burgeoning field of astrobiology critically examine the major evolutionary steps that led us from the distant origins of life to the technologically advanced species we are today. Are the key events that took life from simple cells to astronauts unique occurrences that would be unlikely to occur on other planets? By focusing on what life does - it's functional abilities - rather than specific biochemistry or anatomy, the authors provide plausible answers to this question. Systematically exploring the various pathways that led to the complex biosphere we experience on planet Earth, they show that most of the steps along that path are likely to occur on any world hosting life, with only two exceptions: One is the origin of life itself – if this is a highly improbable event, then we live in a rather “empty universe”. However, if this isn’t the case, we inevitably live in a universe containing a myriad of planets hosting complex as well as microbial life - a “cosmic zoo”. The other unknown is the rise of technologically advanced beings, as exemplified on Earth by humans. Only one technological species has emerged in the roughly 4 billion years life has existed on Earth, and we don’t know of any other technological species elsewhere. If technological intelligence is a rare, almost unique feature of Earth's history, then there can be no visitors to the cosmic zoo other than ourselves. Schulze-Makuch and Bains take the reader through the history of life on Earth, laying out a consistent and straightforward framework for understanding why we should think that advanced, complex life exists on planets other than Earth. They provide a unique perspective on the question that puzzled the human species for centuries: are we alone?

One Plus One Equals One

Author : John Archibald
Publisher : OUP Oxford
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2014-06-26
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780191636288

Get Book

One Plus One Equals One by John Archibald Pdf

We are in the midst of a revolution. It is a scientific revolution built upon the tools of molecular biology, with which we probe and prod the living world in ways unimaginable a few decades ago. Need to track a bacterium at the root of a hospital outbreak? No problem: the offending germ's complete genetic profile can be obtained in 24 hours. We insert human DNA into E. coli bacteria to produce our insulin. It is natural to look at biotechnology in the 21st century with a mix of wonder and fear. But biotechnology is not as 'unnatural' as one might think. All living organisms use the same molecular processes to replicate their genetic material and the same basic code to 'read' their genes. The similarities can be seen in their DNA. Here, John Archibald shows how evolution has been 'plugging-and-playing' with the subcellular components of life from the very beginning and continues to do so today. For evidence, we need look no further than the inner workings of our own cells. Molecular biology has allowed us to gaze back more than three billion years, revealing the microbial mergers and acquisitions that underpin the development of complex life. One Plus One Equals One tells the story of how we have come to this realization and its implications.

The Vital Question

Author : Nick Lane
Publisher : Profile Books
Page : 569 pages
File Size : 46,9 Mb
Release : 2015-04-23
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781847658807

Get Book

The Vital Question by Nick Lane Pdf

Why is life the way it is? Bacteria evolved into complex life just once in four billion years of life on earth-and all complex life shares many strange properties, from sex to ageing and death. If life evolved on other planets, would it be the same or completely different? In The Vital Question, Nick Lane radically reframes evolutionary history, putting forward a cogent solution to conundrums that have troubled scientists for decades. The answer, he argues, lies in energy: how all life on Earth lives off a voltage with the strength of a bolt of lightning. In unravelling these scientific enigmas, making sense of life's quirks, Lane's explanation provides a solution to life's vital questions: why are we as we are, and why are we here at all? This is ground-breaking science in an accessible form, in the tradition of Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species, Richard Dawkins' The Selfish Gene, and Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel.

The Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians

Author : Kentwood D. Wells
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 1400 pages
File Size : 55,7 Mb
Release : 2010-02-15
Category : Science
ISBN : 0226893340

Get Book

The Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians by Kentwood D. Wells Pdf

Consisting of more than six thousand species, amphibians are more diverse than mammals and are found on every continent save Antarctica. Despite the abundance and diversity of these animals, many aspects of the biology of amphibians remain unstudied or misunderstood. The Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians aims to fill this gap in the literature on this remarkable taxon. It is a celebration of the diversity of amphibian life and the ecological and behavioral adaptations that have made it a successful component of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Synthesizing seventy years of research on amphibian biology, Kentwood D. Wells addresses all major areas of inquiry, including phylogeny, classification, and morphology; aspects of physiological ecology such as water and temperature relations, respiration, metabolism, and energetics; movements and orientation; communication and social behavior; reproduction and parental care; ecology and behavior of amphibian larvae and ecological aspects of metamorphosis; ecological impact of predation on amphibian populations and antipredator defenses; and aspects of amphibian community ecology. With an eye towards modern concerns, The Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians concludes with a chapter devoted to amphibian conservation. An unprecedented scholarly contribution to amphibian biology, this book is eagerly anticipated among specialists.

A New History of Life

Author : Peter Ward,Joe Kirschvink
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Page : 401 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2015-04-07
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781608199082

Get Book

A New History of Life by Peter Ward,Joe Kirschvink Pdf

The history of life on Earth is, in some form or another, known to us all--or so we think. A New History of Life offers a provocative new account, based on the latest scientific research, of how life on our planet evolved--the first major new synthesis for general readers in two decades. Charles Darwin's theories, first published more than 150 years ago, form the backbone of how we understand the history of the Earth. In reality, the currently accepted history of life on Earth is so flawed, so out of date, that it's past time we need a 'New History of Life.' In their latest book, Joe Kirschvink and Peter Ward will show that many of our most cherished beliefs about the evolution of life are wrong. Gathering and analyzing years of discoveries and research not yet widely known to the public, A New History of Life proposes a different origin of species than the one Darwin proposed, one which includes eight-foot-long centipedes, a frozen “snowball Earth”, and the seeds for life originating on Mars. Drawing on their years of experience in paleontology, biology, chemistry, and astrobiology, experts Ward and Kirschvink paint a picture of the origins life on Earth that are at once too fabulous to imagine and too familiar to dismiss--and looking forward, A New History of Life brilliantly assembles insights from some of the latest scientific research to understand how life on Earth can and might evolve far into the future.

Artificial Life IX

Author : Jordan B. Pollack
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 612 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2004
Category : Biological systems
ISBN : 0262661837

Get Book

Artificial Life IX by Jordan B. Pollack Pdf

Proceedings from the ninth International Conference on Artificial Life; papers by scientists of many disciplines focusing on the principles of organization and applications of complex, life-like systems. Artificial Life is an interdisciplinary effort to investigate the fundamental properties of living systems through the simulation and synthesis of life-like processes. The young field brings a powerful set of tools to the study of how high-level behavior can arise in systems governed by simple rules of interaction. Some of the fundamental questions include: What are the principles of evolution, learning, and growth that can be understood well enough to simulate as an information process? Can robots be built faster and more cheaply by mimicking biology than by the product design process used for automobiles and airplanes? How can we unify theories from dynamical systems, game theory, evolution, computing, geophysics, and cognition? The field has contributed fundamentally to our understanding of life itself through computer models, and has led to novel solutions to complex real-world problems across high technology and human society. This elite biennial meeting has grown from a small workshop in Santa Fe to a major international conference. This ninth volume of the proceedings of the international A-life conference reflects the growing quality and impact of this interdisciplinary scientific community.

Ultraviolet Astronomy and the Quest for the Origin of Life

Author : Ana I. Gomez de Castro
Publisher : Elsevier
Page : 178 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2021-03-27
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780128191712

Get Book

Ultraviolet Astronomy and the Quest for the Origin of Life by Ana I. Gomez de Castro Pdf

Ultraviolet Astronomy and the Quest for the Origin of Life addresses the use of astronomical observations in the ultraviolet range to better understand the generation of complex, life-precursor molecules. The origin of RNA is still under debate but seems to be related to the generation of pools of complex organic molecules submitted to heavy cycles of solution in water and drying. This book investigates whether these cycles require a planetary surface or may occur in space by examining both the theoretical and observational aspects of the role of UV radiation in the origin of life. This book offers the latest advances in these studies for astronomers, astrobiologists and planetary scientists. Addresses both the theoretical and observational aspects of the role of Ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the origin of life Builds on the requirements to produce prebiotic molecules in space and the implications for the origin of RNA Investigates the use of ultraviolet observations related to planetary system formation, the evolution of young planetary disks, and the interaction of stars with planetary atmospheres

Complex Systems: Chaos and Beyond

Author : Kunihiko Kaneko,Ichiro Tsuda
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 284 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 2011-06-28
Category : Mathematics
ISBN : 9783642568619

Get Book

Complex Systems: Chaos and Beyond by Kunihiko Kaneko,Ichiro Tsuda Pdf

This book, the first in a series on this subject, is the outcome of many years of efforts to give a new all-encompassing approach to complex systems in nature based on chaos theory. While maintaining a high level of rigor, the authors avoid an overly complicated mathematical apparatus, making the book accessible to a wider interdisciplinary readership.

Exploring the World of Biology

Author : John Hudson Tiner
Publisher : New Leaf Publishing Group
Page : 275 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2009-01-28
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN : 9780890515525

Get Book

Exploring the World of Biology by John Hudson Tiner Pdf

This book in Master Books Exploring series is a fascinating look at life--from the smallest proteins and spores, to the complex life systems of humans and animals.

Resilience

Author : David Chandler
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 258 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2014-05-09
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781317682547

Get Book

Resilience by David Chandler Pdf

Resilience has become a central concept in government policy understandings over the last decade. In our complex, global and interconnected world, resilience appears to be the policy ‘buzzword’ of choice, alleged to be the solution to a wide and ever-growing range of policy issues. This book analyses the key aspects of resilience-thinking and highlights how resilience impacts upon traditional conceptions of governance. This concise and accessible book investigates how resilience-thinking adds new insights into how politics (both domestically and internationally) is understood to work and how problems are perceived and addressed; from educational training in schools to global ethics and from responses to shock events and natural disasters to long-term international policies to promote peace and development. This book also raises searching questions about how resilience-thinking influences the types of knowledge and understanding we value and challenges traditional conceptions of social and political processes. It sets forward a new and clear conceptualisation of resilience, of use to students, academics and policy-makers, emphasising the links between the rise of resilience and awareness of the complex nature of problems and policy-making.

Size-Structured Populations

Author : Bo Ebenman,Lennart Persson
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 2012-12-06
Category : Science
ISBN : 9783642740015

Get Book

Size-Structured Populations by Bo Ebenman,Lennart Persson Pdf

At last both ecology and evolution are covered in this study on the dynamics of size-structured populations. How does natural selection shape growth patterns and life cycles of individuals, and hence the size-structure of populations? This book will stimulate biologists to look into some important and interesting biological problems from a new angle of approach, concerning: - life history evolution, - intraspecific competition and niche theory, - structure and dynamics of ecological communities.

Anthology Complex

Author : M.B. Julien
Publisher : M.B. Julien
Page : 162 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 2024-02-05
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

Get Book

Anthology Complex by M.B. Julien Pdf

An individual who is physically unsubscribed to the world attempts to understand what it means to be human.

Understanding

Author : Veselin Penef
Publisher : Page Publishing Inc
Page : 336 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 2022-01-27
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781662445903

Get Book

Understanding by Veselin Penef Pdf

The book reveals the Reality of Life. Life’s origin, life’s reason for existence is answered. The personal choice for the self, self-creation, is shown. Life’s eternity, life’s indestructible nature is proven. The immortality of the soul is proven. The book proves God’s existence. Unlimited power is disproven. The philosophy of the book is titled the one philosophy. The One Philosophy includes all opposites, the Middle Ground between which is taken and confirmed. All that is lacking of the good is exposed. Philosophy is the answer to knowledge of the good, not religion, not democracy. The philosopher-king is advocated. The three main human objectives are put forth: understanding of life’s laws, the creating of the good society, the need to live in peace. Only philosophy has the answers. This book marks the new human beginning. It is groundbreaking. The phony, not-so-peaceful-and-loving the real Jesus Christ is exposed. The destruction of Jesus Christ is complete. The greatest human questions are answered. The basis of future humanity will be the One Philosophy.