Introduction
PART ONE Primordial Science
1. The Biggest Question
2. A Soviet Free Thinker
3. Creation in a Test Tube
PART TWO Strange Objects
4. The DNA Revolution
5. Crystal Clear
6. The Schism
PART THREE Scattered, Divided, Leaderless
17. The Other Long Molecule
18. Rise of the Replicators
19. The Blobs
10. The Need for Power
11. Born in the Depths
PART FOUR Reunification
12. Mirrors
13. Return of the Blobs
14. Just Messy Enough
Epilogue: The Meaning of Life
Acknowledgements
Bibliography
Notes
Index
Michael Marshall is a science writer interested in life sciences and the environment. He has a BA and MPhil in experimental psychology from the University of Cambridge and an MSc in science communication from Imperial College, London. He has worked as a staff journalist at New Scientist and the BBC. Since 2017 he has been a freelance writer, published by outlets including BBC Future, the Observer, Nature, New Scientist, and the Telegraph. In 2019 he was shortlisted for News Item of the Year by the Association of British Science Writers. He lives in Devon, UK, with his wife and daughter.
“In The Genesis Quest, the science writer Michael Marshall
argues that belief in a life force long stymied progress in
understanding life’s origins. It was only with publication of
Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection in 1859 that the
notion that the first living thing must have had a precursor became
widespread. As science advanced, it was established that a
collection of molecules with some lifelike properties must have
given rise to life. Marshall’s book focuses on the chemical
research—from the first speculative insights made by brilliant
minds to the complex experiments that have increasingly dominated
the field—into life’s origins. It’s a fascinating and challenging
story, and leavened with mini-biographies, the best of which are
based on his own interviews with his subjects."
*New York Review of Books*
“The Genesis Quest traces the ongoing efforts of scientists to
explain exactly how life first arose on Earth. Marshall introduces
the field’s major theories, figures, and controversies.”
*Publishers Weekly*
“In his recently published The Genesis Quest: The Geniuses and
Eccentrics on a Journey to Uncover the Origin of Life on Earth,
author Marshall examines the ideas and researches of some of those
who sought or are still seeking to uncover the explanation—or
perhaps explanations—to this grand mystery. Described as being
filled with colorful accounts of ‘ingenuity, rivalry, and
staggering levels of bloody-mindedness,’ this is a work that
promises to be as lively in its telling as its subject is
thought-provoking.”
*The Well-read Naturalist*
"Marshall provides an historical review of the search for the
origin of life. . . . Marshall's text provides an approachable
introduction to how modern science investigates the origin of life,
and also offers an interesting window on the lives of the
scientists involved. Recommended."
*Choice*
"Marshall knows his stuff. . . . If you have any interest in
delving deeper into origin-of-life research, The Genesis Quest
makes a fantastic starting point that will give you the lay of the
land. It gets my unreserved recommendation."
*Inquisitive Biologist*
"The book has many strengths...[it is] enjoyable to read and very
informative. Importantly, it will be extremely accessible to a
broad audience, including explanations of the most technical
biochemical concepts or processes."
*The Quarterly Review of Biology*
"This book explores multiple theories about the origin of life
and the story of how these ideas have progressed over the last
century. The book's distinctive style comes from well-researched
analysis of the behavior and lifestyles of the various scientists
who have contributed to this fascinating and uniquely
difficult question. . . . This book is an extremely stimulating
read and I recommend it most strongly to scientists and laymen
alike."
*The Biologist*
"The Genesis Quest is a tour-de-force recount of the eclectic
effort to understand the origins of life on Earth, authored by
science writer Marshall. Here is a tale that spans from prebiotic
chemistry to protocells, interlaced with stories of the
idiosyncrasies of the scientists involved. It's a union of the
sciences—synthetic chemistry, astrobiology, biochemistry,
microbiology, ecology. Much like the primordial polymer blob
‘coacervates’ that coalesce into one, discussed early in the book,
famous names in science quickly become associated with personality
and foibles, putting more than just a face to the names."
*American Society for Microbiology blog, "Small Things
Considered"*
“Marshall has rounded up all the past and current thinking about
this profound and puzzling question—how did life begin?—into a
neat, enthralling, and highly digestible package. He doesn’t
pretend we can answer the question, but does justice to all the key
proposals so far. And if anything, his survey of potential
solutions makes the appearance of life on Earth seem all the more
astonishing as we examine the issue ever more closely.”
*Philip Ball, author of "How to Grow a Human: Adventures in How We
Are Made and Who We Are"*
“Prepare yourself for a dazzling intellectual journey: the science
is fascinating, the cast of characters all-too-human, and the
philosophical insights deep. Written in clear and entertaining
prose, like a Sherlock Holmes story, this is the best book I know
for general readers about the quest to solve one of our most
enduring mysteries: how and where, in a seemingly purposeless
universe, life began on planet earth.”
*Oren Harman, author of "Evolutions: Fifteen Myths That Explain Our
World"*
“The Genesis Quest recounts remarkable episodes in the history of
attempts to scientifically understand the origin of life. Combining
exceptionally clear expositions of what is scientifically at stake,
distinctive humor, and a roving eye for the telling anecdote, this
is anything but a tedious scientific genealogy. Marshall has a
flair and talent for explaining each individual experiment and its
intellectual context. The Genesis Quest offers a well-done romp
through some fascinating and complicated terrain.”
*Luis A. Campos, author of "Radium and the Secret of Life"*
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