Stock photo

Life from an RNA World : The Ancestor Within by Michael Yarus (2011, Trade Paperback)

Windflower books store (1597)

98.1% positive Feedback

Price:

US $21.01

Approximately£15.84

+ $14.15 postage

Estimated delivery Tue, 27 May - Fri, 6 Jun

Returns:

30 days return. Buyer pays for return postage. If you use an eBay delivery label, it will be deducted from your refund amount.

Condition:

New

The item is Brand New!

About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherHarvard University Press

ISBN-100674060717

ISBN-139780674060715

eBay Product ID (ePID)154380407

Product Key Features

Book TitleLife from an Rna World : the Ancestor Within

Number of Pages208 Pages

LanguageEnglish

TopicLife Sciences / Molecular Biology, Life Sciences / Biochemistry, Life Sciences / Evolution

Publication Year2011

IllustratorYes

GenreScience

AuthorMichael Yarus

FormatTrade Paperback

Dimensions

Item Height0.1 in

Item Weight13 Oz

Item Length0.8 in

Item Width0.5 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2009-044011

Dewey Edition22

ReviewsYarus captivates with skilled character development -- but here, the characters are the prebiotic molecules that gave rise to everything that has ever lived or is alive today on our planet., Life from an RNA World is an unconventional book about RNA. Rather than opening with the central dogma and attendant teachings on molecular biology, Yarus uses evolution as a gateway. He then takes us on a journey through evolutionary time, concentrating on the roles of the various forms of RNA...[He] is a proficient guide., Michael Yarus' book is a very enjoyable read, be the reader a well informed molecular biologist, or a lay person...Surely this book will highlight and increase the interest in the RNA world; raising the awareness that we are all, after all, the children of RNA.

Dewey Decimal572.8/8

SynopsisA majority of evolutionary biologists believe that we now can envision our biological predecessors--not the first, but nearly the first, living beings on Earth. Life from an RNA World is about these vanished forebears, sketching them in the distant past just as their workings first began to resemble our own. The advances that have made such a pursuit possible are rarely discussed outside of bio-labs. So here, says author Michael Yarus, is an album for interested non-biologists, an introduction to our relatives in deep time, slouching between the first rudimentary life on Earth and the appearance of more complex beings. The era between, and the focus of Yarus' work, is called the RNA world. It is RNA (ribonucleic acid) long believed to be a mere biologic copier and messenger, that offers us this glimpse into our ancient predecessors. To describe early RNA creatures, here called "ribocytes" or RNA cells, Yarus deploys some basics of molecular biology. He reviews our current understanding of the tree of life, examines the structure of RNA itself, explains the operation of the genetic code, and covers much else--all in an effort to reveal a departed biological world across billions of years between its heyday and ours. Courting controversy among those who question the role of "ribocytes"--citing the chemical fragility of RNA and the uncertainty about the origin of an RNA synthetic apparatus--Yarus offers an invaluable vision of early life on Earth. And his book makes that early form of life, our ancestor within, accessible to all of us., A majority of evolutionary biologists believe that we now can envision our biological predecessors-not the first, but nearly the first, living beings on Earth. Life from an RNA World is about these vanished forebears, sketching them in the distant past just as their workings first began to resemble our own. The advances that have made such a pursuit possible are rarely discussed outside of bio-labs. So here, says author Michael Yarus, is an album for interested non-biologists, an introduction to our relatives in deep time, slouching between the first rudimentary life on Earth and the appearance of more complex beings. The era between, and the focus of Yarus' work, is called the RNA world. It is RNA (ribonucleic acid) long believed to be a mere biologic copier and messenger, that offers us this glimpse into our ancient predecessors. To describe early RNA creatures, here called "ribocytes" or RNA cells, Yarus deploys some basics of molecular biology. He reviews our current understanding of the tree of life, examines the structure of RNA itself, explains the operation of the genetic code, and covers much else-all in an effort to reveal a departed biological world across billions of years between its heyday and ours. Courting controversy among those who question the role of "ribocytes"-citing the chemical fragility of RNA and the uncertainty about the origin of an RNA synthetic apparatus-Yarus offers an invaluable vision of early life on Earth. And his book makes that early form of life, our ancestor within, accessible to all of us.

LC Classification NumberQP623.Y367 2011