Downloadable audiobooks
A brief history of creation: science and the search for the origin of life
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Physical Description:
1 online resource (1 audio file (10hr., 42 min.)) : digital.
remote
access
electronic resource - Edition: Unabridged.
- Publisher: [United States] : Blackstone Audio, Inc. : Made available through hoopla, 2016.
Content descriptions
| Restrictions on Access Note: | Digital content provided by hoopla. |
| Participant or Performer Note: | Read by Sean Runnette. |
| Summary, etc.: | How did life begin? It is perhaps the most important question science has ever asked. Over the centuries, the search for an answer has been entwined with some of science's most revolutionary advances, including van Leeuwenhoek's microscope, Darwin's theory of evolution, and Crick and Watson's unveiling of DNA. Now, in an age of genetic engineering and space exploration, some scientists believe they are on the verge of creating life from nonliving elements and that our knowledge of the potential for life on other planets is ever-expanding. In the midst of these exciting developments, A Brief History of Creation provides an essential and illuminating history of Western science, tracing the trials and triumphs of the iconoclastic scientists who have sought to uncover the mystery of how life first came to be. Authors Bill Mesler and H. James Cleaves II examine historical discoveries in the context of philosophical debates, political change, and humanity's evolving understanding of the complexity of biology. The story they tell is rooted in metaphysical arguments, in a changing understanding of the age of the earth, and even in the politics of the Cold War. It has involved exploration into the inner recesses of living cells and scientific journeys to the farthest reaches of outer space. This elegantly written narrative culminates in an analysis of modern models for life's genesis, such as the possibility that some of the earliest life was composed of little more than RNA, and that life arose around deep-sea hydrothermal vents or even on other planets, only to be carried to the earth on meteorites. Can anyone ever conclusively prove how life began? A Brief History of Creation is a fascinating exploration not only of the origin-of-life question but of the very nature of scientific objectivity and the process of scientific discovery. |
| System Details Note: | Mode of access: World Wide Web. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Life Origin Philosophy History Life Origin Research History |
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