Stardust, supernovae and the molecules of life : might we all be aliens? / Richard N. Boyd.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Boyd, Richard N.

Series:

Astronomers' universe.

Astronomers' universe, 1614-659X

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Exobiology.

Life on other planets.

Life--Origin.

Life.

Molecular evolution.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (222 p.)

Edition:

1st ed. 2012.

Place of Publication:

New York : Springer, 2012.

Language Note:

English

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.

Contents:

Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1: In the Beginning

1.2: What is "Life?"

1.3: The Miller Urey Experiment

1.4: General Background and Definitions

Chapter 2: What is the Origin of the Lightest Elements

2.1: The Big Bang

2.2: The Supernova Cosmology Project

2.3: The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe

2.4: Olber's Paradox

2.5: Big Bang Nucleosynthesis - BBN

Chapter 3: What is the Origin of the Rest of the Elements?

3.1: Introduction to Stellar Nucleosynthesis

3.2.1: Hydrogen Burning

3.2.2: Helium Burning

3.2.3: Subsequent Burning Stages

3.3: After Stellar Burning

3.3.1: Creating a Core-Collapse Supernova Explosion

3.3.2: Synthesizing the Heavy Elements

3.3.3: White Dwarfs

3.3.4: Type Ia Supernovae

Chapter 4: Creation of Molecules in the Interstellar Medium

4.1: The Electromagnetic Spectrum

4.2: Detecting Photons of Different Energies

4.3: Secrets from Meteorites

4.4: Mining the Comets

4.5: The Next Huge Step - Forming Life from the Molecules Delivered to Earth

Chapter 5: Amino Acids and Chirality

5.1: A Primer on Amino Acids

5.2: Chirality and Polarization

5.3: Relating Optical and Molecular Chirality

5.3.1: Chiral Selection

5.3.2: A Little Atomic Physics and Some Very Basic Quantum Mechanics

5.4: The Other Molecules of Life

Chapter 6: How Have Scientists Explained the Amino Acid Chirality?

6.1: Models that Produce Chirality

6.1.1: Chiral Selection via Circularly Polarized Sunlight

6.1.2: Chiral Selection via Circularly Polarized Sunlight

6.1.3: Chiral Selection via the Weak Interaction

6.1.4: Chiral Selection via Chemical Selection in Clay

6.2: Amplification via Chemical Catalysis

6.3: Laboratory Experiments and Theoretical Developments

6.4: Terrestrial Amplification

6.5: Concluding Remarks on Amplification.- Chapter 7: What Happens to the Amino Acids When the Supernova Explodes?

7.1: The Supernova

7.2: The Neutrino Story

7.3: Interactions of Neutrinos with 14N

7.4: Relating the 14 N Spin to the Molecular Chirality

7.5: The Supernova Progenitor Star

Chapter 8: Spreading Chirality Throughout the Galaxy and Throughout the Earth

8.1: Might Supernovae Process All the Amino Acids in the Galaxy?

8.2: Spreading Molecules and Enantiomerism Throughout the Galaxy

8.2.1: Cosmic Amplification

8.2.2: Cosmic Amplification

8.2.2: Galactic Mixing

8.2.3: Planetary Amplification

8.3: Testing the Models of Amino Acid Chirality

8.4: The Impact of Amino Acid Chirality on Questions of the Origin of Life in the Universe

Chapter 9: What About the Rest of the Universe?

9.1: Are We Alone?

9.2: Extremophiles on Earth

9.3: And From Outer Space?

Glossary

Index.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-283-44520-4

9786613445209

1-4614-1332-X

OCLC:

769441448