This note covers the following topics: Properties of life, The cell,
Life definitions in astrobiology, Chemical properties of life, The chemical
elements of life, The water molecule, Chemical bonds in biology, Functional
groups in biomolecules, Biological macromolecules, Nucleic acids: RNA and DNA,
Molecules used for energy exchange, Genetic sequences and classification of
organisms.
This book addresses
important current and historical topics in astrobiology and the search for life
beyond Earth, including the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
This book presents results from several projects in the new field of computational
astrobiology, which is devoted to advancing our understanding of the origin,
evolution and distribution of life in the Universe using theoretical and
computational tools.
This note describes the origin and development of life on the
planet Earth within the context of an evolving universe. It begins with an
overview of the origins of the universe from the "Big Bang" to our own solar
system and then integrate the principles of physics, chemistry, geology and
biology to study the origins of life on Earth.