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 . Chemistry escapes me. Too many un-descriptive "historical" names for processes, substances, molecules. Hence chapters 2, 3, and 4 are as difficult to internalize as lists of the crowned heads of Europe (and the wars they started, won, and mostly lost)
----

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 .p001  .p022 [[ https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/galileo-galilei-quotes | Galileo: ]] "I do not feel obligated to believe that the same God who has given us our senses, reason, and intelligence, wishes us to abandon their use"
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 .p025  .p033 [[ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribonuclease_P | Ribonuclease P ]] !RNase P
  . broad class of RNA+Protein molecules that cut specific cellular RNAs in [[ https://www.dnatestingexperts.com/what-does-rnase-do-things-students-should-know-about/ | specific ways ]]
 .p033 The RNA does the work, the attached protein neutralizes the large negative charge of the RNA molecule
 .p033 [[ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney_Altman | Sidney Altman ]] and colleagues added Mg++ magnesium ions, achieving similar neutralization
 .p034 discoveries of many self-cleaving RNAs that catalyze chemical reactions
 .p034 [[ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Gilbert | Walter Gilbert ]] catchphrase [[ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RNA_world_hypothesis | RNA World ]]
 .p037 [[ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_A._Steitz | Yale biochemist Thomas Steitz ]] [[ https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.289.5481.878 | The ribosome is a ribozyme ]]
 .p038 [[ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_DNA | RNA World replaced by more stable DNA ]]


 ----
 .'''p039 Chapter 3: The Origin of Life: From Chemistry to Biology'''
 .p043 [[ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formose_reaction | formose synthesis ]], sugar from formaldehyde
 .p046 British chemist [[ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sutherland_(chemist) | John Sutherland ]]
 .p048 pH buffer and catalyst makes [[ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2-Aminooxazole | 2-aminooxazole 2AO ]] synthesis efficient, [[ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_chemistry | systems chemistry ]] example
 .p048 2AO plus [[ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glyceraldehyde | glyceraldehyde ]] produces [[ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribose_aminooxazoline | RAO
 .p057 Where did SO₂ come from? Volcanic eruptions. [[ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Pinatubo | Pinatubo ]] released enough SO₂ haze to cool Earth for 2 years.

 ----
 .'''p067 Appendix: Chemical Structures and Reactions'''
 .'''p073 Chapter 4: The Origin of Life: Amino Acids and Peptides'''
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 .'''p025 Chapter 2: The Origin of Life: The RNA World'''
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 .'''p039 Chapter 3: The Origin of Life: From Chemistry to Biology'''
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 .'''p083 Chapter 5: The Origin of Life: The Road to the Protocell'''
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 .'''p119 Chapter 6: Putting it All Together: From Astrophysics and Geology to Chemistry and Biology'''
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 .'''p141 Chapter 7: Extraterrestrial Life on Solar System Planets?'''
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 .'''p067 Appendix: Chemical Structures and Reactions'''
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 .'''p167 Chapter 8: Extraterrestrial Life on Solar System Moons?'''
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  ----
 .'''p189 Chapter 9: Life Out There: The Astronomical Quest'''
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 .'''p219 Chapter 10: Life as We Don't Know It: The Design of Natural and Unnatural Life-Forms'''
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 .'''p231 Chapter 11: The Hunt for Intelligence: Preliminary Thoughts'''
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  ----
 .'''p257 Chapter 12: The Hunt for Intelligence: The Searches'''
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 .'''p271 Chapter 13: Epilogue: And Immanent Breakthrough?'''
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 .p285 Acknowledgements


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 .p287 Selected Further Reading


 .p301 Lustin-Yaeger et. al. 2018, "Detecting Ocean Glint on Exoplanets Using Multiphase Mapping," Astronomical Journal 156 no. 6 December
  .[[ https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/aaed3a | summary ]] [[ https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/aaed3a/pdf | pdf ]]
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 ----
 .'''p073 Chapter 4: The Origin of Life: Amino Acids and Peptides'''
 .p025
 
 ----
 .'''p083 Chapter 5: The Origin of Life: The Road to the Protocell'''
 .p025
 
 ----
 .'''p119 Chapter 6: Putting it All Together: From Astrophysics and Geology to Chemistry and Biology'''
 .p025
 
 ----
 .'''p141 Chapter 7: Extraterrestrial Life on Solar System Planets?'''
 .p025

 ----
 .'''p141 Chapter 8: Extraterrestrial Life on Solar System Moons?'''
 .p025

  ----
 .'''p189 Chapter 9: Life Out There: The Astronomical Quest'''
 .p025
 
  ----
 .'''p219 Chapter 10: Life as We Don't Know It: The Design of Natural and Unnatural Life-Forms'''
 .p025
 
  ----
 .'''p231 Chapter 11: The Hunt for Intelligence: Preliminary Thoughts'''
 .p025

  ----
 .'''p257 Chapter 12: The Hunt for Intelligence: The Searches'''
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 .'''p271 Chapter 13: Epilogue: And Immanent Breakthrough?'''
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----
 .p285 Acknowledgements

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 .p287 Selected Further Reading
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Is Earth Exceptional?

The Quest for Cosmic Life

  • Mario Livio & Jack Szostak . 2024 . 576.83 LIVIO . Cedar Mill Library


  • Chemistry escapes me. Too many un-descriptive "historical" names for processes, substances, molecules. Hence chapters 2, 3, and 4 are as difficult to internalize as lists of the crowned heads of Europe (and the wars they started, won, and mostly lost)


  • p001 Chapter 1: A Freak Chemical Accident or a Cosmic Imperative?

  • p022 Galileo: "I do not feel obligated to believe that the same God who has given us our senses, reason, and intelligence, wishes us to abandon their use"




  • p067 Appendix: Chemical Structures and Reactions

  • p073 Chapter 4: The Origin of Life: Amino Acids and Peptides


  • p083 Chapter 5: The Origin of Life: The Road to the Protocell

  • p087

  • p089

  • p091

  • p092

  • p093

  • p094

  • p095

  • p096

  • p097

  • p100

  • p101

  • p101

  • p102

  • p103

  • p104

  • p105

  • p106

  • p106

  • p107

  • p107

  • p108

  • p108

  • p108

  • p109

  • p109

  • p109

  • p110

  • p111

  • p111

  • p112

  • p112

  • p112

  • p113

  • p117

  • p117


  • p119 Chapter 6: Putting it All Together: From Astrophysics and Geology to Chemistry and Biology

  • p135

  • p136

  • p136

  • p137

  • p138


  • p141 Chapter 7: Extraterrestrial Life on Solar System Planets?

  • p143

  • p144

  • p151

  • p152

  • p152

  • p156

  • p156

  • p161


  • p167 Chapter 8: Extraterrestrial Life on Solar System Moons?

  • p172

  • p174

  • p177

  • p178

  • p179

  • p180

  • p180

  • p181

  • p187


  • p189 Chapter 9: Life Out There: The Astronomical Quest

  • p194

  • p195

  • p196

  • p197

  • p198

  • p199

  • p199

  • p199

  • p200

  • p200

  • p202

  • p202

  • p203

  • p206

  • p208

  • p216

  • p216

  • p218


  • p219 Chapter 10: Life as We Don't Know It: The Design of Natural and Unnatural Life-Forms

  • p221

  • p223

  • p225


  • p231 Chapter 11: The Hunt for Intelligence: Preliminary Thoughts

  • p233

  • p233

  • p237

  • p238

  • p242

  • p245

  • p250

  • p251

  • p252

  • p253


  • p257 Chapter 12: The Hunt for Intelligence: The Searches

  • p259

  • p259

  • p260

  • p261

  • p261

  • p262

  • p262

  • p262

  • p263

  • p263

  • p264

  • p265

  • p265

  • p266

  • p266

  • p267

  • p268

  • p269

  • p269


  • p271 Chapter 13: Epilogue: And Immanent Breakthrough?

  • p272

  • p274

  • p274

  • p275

  • p275

  • p277

  • p278

  • p279

  • p279

  • p279

  • p280

  • p281

  • p282

  • p282

  • p283

  • p283

  • p284

  • p284


  • p285 Acknowledgements


  • p287 Selected Further Reading
  • p301 Lustin-Yaeger et. al. 2018, "Detecting Ocean Glint on Exoplanets Using Multiphase Mapping," Astronomical Journal 156 no. 6 December


  • p311 Index

EarthExceptional (last edited 2026-05-23 08:33:33 by KeithLofstrom)