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Dedication; Preface; Contents; About the Author; 1.: What Is Life?; Introduction; Beyond theßSix Kingdoms; How Do Our Genes Work?; The Shifting Landscape ofßOur Genes; Genes onßtheßMove; The CRISPy Side ofßEvolution; How MRS GREN Became MRS GREEN; The Deep Biosphere; Life, theßUniverse andßMaybe Everything; Conclusions; References; 2.: Life's Grand Themes; Introduction; The Replication andßTransmission ofßInformation; The Persistence ofßCells; Photosynthesis andßtheßOxygen Revolution; Of Peroxides andßPerchlorates; Sex andßSexuality; From Unicellular toßMulticellular Life.
Sensation Neurons, Brains andßIntegration; Are There Reasonable Alternatives toßMulticellular Central Nervous Systems?; In Silico: TheßFuture ofßIntelligence Everywhere?; The Idea ofßanßIntelligence Window; A Few Final Scenarios; Conclusions; References; 3.: The Origin ofßLife onßEarth; Introduction; The Dark, Young Earth; What Do Astrochemists Know About Life?; Southern Fried Chickens andßPoached Eggs; Before theßRNA World; The Rise ofßModern Genetics fromßMolecular Goo; How Might Life onßEarth Compare toßIts Rise Elsewhere?; The Emergence ofßPhotosynthesis; Conclusions.
Insurmountable Problems? The Rhythm ofßLife; The Color ofßSpring; ET
From the Familiar to the Sublime; Sub-glacial Life; Living Rocks; The Blob; Dustballs, Tumbleweeds andßSelf-assembling Organisms; Planet-Wide Microbial Consciousness; In Silico Life: AßReprise; Can aßStar BeßAlive?; Nebular Life?; Life onßNearby Shores; The Signatures ofßLife; Metabolism; The Great Pump; Biological Impact onßPlanetary Atmospheres; Conclusions; References; 6.: Extinction; Introduction; Humans asßMass Killers; The Five Major Extinctions; The Ordovician Extinctions; The Devonian Event.
The Great Dying The Fall ofßPangaea andßtheßRise ofßtheßDinosaurs; The Rise ofßMammals; Take-Home Messages fromßtheßMass Extinctions; Can Life BeßDefeated?; Conclusions; References; 7.: Agents ofßMass Destruction; Introduction; Our Own Worst Enemy; Global Warming; Nuclear War; Overpopulation; Pestilence; Collapsing Economies; Fashion Bottlenecks; What Can theßUniverse Throw at Us?; Ice Ages; Near Misses withßBlack Holes andßNeutron Stars; Near Misses withßDwarf Stars or Rogue Planets; Gamma Ray Bursts; Cosmic Collisions withßComets andßAsteroids; Migrating Mercury.
Sensation Neurons, Brains andßIntegration; Are There Reasonable Alternatives toßMulticellular Central Nervous Systems?; In Silico: TheßFuture ofßIntelligence Everywhere?; The Idea ofßanßIntelligence Window; A Few Final Scenarios; Conclusions; References; 3.: The Origin ofßLife onßEarth; Introduction; The Dark, Young Earth; What Do Astrochemists Know About Life?; Southern Fried Chickens andßPoached Eggs; Before theßRNA World; The Rise ofßModern Genetics fromßMolecular Goo; How Might Life onßEarth Compare toßIts Rise Elsewhere?; The Emergence ofßPhotosynthesis; Conclusions.
Insurmountable Problems? The Rhythm ofßLife; The Color ofßSpring; ET
From the Familiar to the Sublime; Sub-glacial Life; Living Rocks; The Blob; Dustballs, Tumbleweeds andßSelf-assembling Organisms; Planet-Wide Microbial Consciousness; In Silico Life: AßReprise; Can aßStar BeßAlive?; Nebular Life?; Life onßNearby Shores; The Signatures ofßLife; Metabolism; The Great Pump; Biological Impact onßPlanetary Atmospheres; Conclusions; References; 6.: Extinction; Introduction; Humans asßMass Killers; The Five Major Extinctions; The Ordovician Extinctions; The Devonian Event.
The Great Dying The Fall ofßPangaea andßtheßRise ofßtheßDinosaurs; The Rise ofßMammals; Take-Home Messages fromßtheßMass Extinctions; Can Life BeßDefeated?; Conclusions; References; 7.: Agents ofßMass Destruction; Introduction; Our Own Worst Enemy; Global Warming; Nuclear War; Overpopulation; Pestilence; Collapsing Economies; Fashion Bottlenecks; What Can theßUniverse Throw at Us?; Ice Ages; Near Misses withßBlack Holes andßNeutron Stars; Near Misses withßDwarf Stars or Rogue Planets; Gamma Ray Bursts; Cosmic Collisions withßComets andßAsteroids; Migrating Mercury.