This intriguing book investigates the major theories of the origins of life in light of modern research with the aim of distinguishing between the necessary and the optional and between deterministic and random influences in the emergence of what we call "life." Life is treated as a cosmic phenomena whose emergence and driving force should be viewed independently from its Earth-bound natural history. The author synthesizes life-related developments in a comprehensive scenario, and makes the argument that understanding life in its boradest context requires a material-independent perspective that identifies its essential fingerprints.

Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Inhalt
The Early History of Bio-Energy.- The Origin of Cell Boundaries and Metabolism.- The Origin of the Early Specificity; The Order, Complexity and Diversity of Life.- The Origin of the Handedness.- The Early History of Bio-Information.- The Purpose-Like Nature of Life.- Assembling the Early Puzzle of Life.- The Material-Independent Signatures of Life; Forensic Tools of Astrobiology.- Appendix A. Models and Theories of Early Life.- Appendix B. A Chronology of Definitions and Interpretations of Life.