The Evolutionary Origins of Life and Death
With a Foreword by Eugene V. Koonin
232 pages
|
30 halftones, 3 tables
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6 x 9
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© 2020
- Contents
- Review Quotes
Table of Contents

Contents
Foreword (by Eugene V. Koonin)
Preface
List of abbreviations
Preface
List of abbreviations
An introduction to the scientific study of life and death
Part One: The origin of life
1 Philosophical considerations and the origin of life
2 The biotic world
3 The theory of life’s origins
4 Life at the very beginning I: the chemistry of the first biomolecules
5 Life at the very beginning II: the emergence of complex RNA molecules
6 The origin of life was an evolutionary transition in individuality
7 A synthesis for the origin of life
Part Two: The origin of death
8 Philosophical considerations and the origin of death
9 Observations of death
10 Mechanisms and measures of programmed cell death in the unicellular world
11 True PCD: when PCD is an adaptation
12 Ersatz PCD: the non-adaptive explanations for PCD
13 Programmed cell death and the levels of selection
14 A synthesis for the origin of programmed cell death
Part Three: Origins of life and death, and their coevolution
15 Group selection and the origins of life and death
16 Life and death coevolution, and the emergence of complexity
Postface
Additional notes
Reference list
Index
Additional notes
Reference list
Index
Review Quotes
Eugene V. Koonin, National Center for Biotechnology Information, from the foreword
“An eye opener for many readers, biologists, and others interested in visiting the frontiers of today’s conceptual thinking on evolution. This book, compact and simple but densely packed with information and ideas, presents the new edifice of evolutionary biology, a vibrant, progressing field that goes far beyond the confines of neo-Darwinism.”
Michael Ruse, Florida State University
“There is no question that Durand is deeply learned. The way that he lays out his argument linking life and death is certainly innovative and I am sure will attract attention. Insightful and stimulating, The Evolutionary Origins of Life and Death will forward discussion on important issues.”
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Biological Sciences: Evolutionary Biology | Microbiology
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