Amino acids and the asymmetry of life: caught in the act of formation
Meierhenrich, U.
‘How did life originate and why were left-handed molecules selected for its architecture’ This question of high public and interdisciplinary scientific interest is the central theme of this book. It is widely known that in processes triggering the origin of life on Earth, the equal occurrence, the parity between left-handed amino acids and their right-handed mirror images, was violated.The balance was inevitably tipped to the left – as a result of which life's proteins today exclusively implement the left form of amino acids. Written in an engaging style, this book describes how the basic building blocks of life, the amino acids, formed. After a comprehensible introduction to stereochemistry, the author addresses the inherent property of amino acids in living organisms, namely the preference for left-handedness. What was the cause for the violation of parity of amino acids in the emergence of life on Earth? A thrilling story built around the question ‘How did life originate and why were left-handed molecules selected for its architecture?’ Topic of high public and interdisciplinary interest Written by a researcher who is famous for his discoveries published in Nature Strong coverage in the press (see www.chiralitaet.de) With aforeword by Henri B. Kagan INDICE: 1. Tracing Life’s Origin: From Amino Acids to Space Mission ROSETTA.- 2. Stereochemistry for the Study of the Origin of Life.- 3. Minority Report: Life’s Chiral Molecules of Opposite Handedness.- 4. When Crystals Deliver Chirality to Life.- 5. When Parity Falls: The Weak Nuclear Interaction.- 6. Chiral Fields: Light, Magnetism, and Chirality.- 7. Key to the Prebiotic Origin of Amino Acids.- 8. A New Record for Chiral Molecules in Meteorites.- 9. The New Space Race: Chiral Molecules on Comets and on Mars.- 10. Accelerating the Carousel: Amplification mechanisms.
- ISBN: 978-3-540-76885-2
- Editorial: Springer
- Encuadernacion: Cartoné
- Páginas: 310
- Fecha Publicación: 01/09/2008
- Nº Volúmenes: 1
- Idioma: Inglés