Stardust, Supernovae And The Molecules Of Life: Might We All Be Aliens? (astronomers' Universe)
by Richard N. Boyd /
2011 / English / PDF
5.7 MB Download
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.
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.
