The primary purpose of this book is to prepare the ground for coordinated efforts aiming to answer the question: where and when life originated. The appearance of life involves three successive stages: i) the formation of chemical elements and their combination to simple molecules, which is the concern of physicists; ii) the evolution of organized complexity in biomolecules and their reactions, which falls within the field of chemistry; iii) the onset of Darwinian evolution after the appearance of the first cell-like structure, which is studied by biologists. This book focuses on the first two steps of this process with chapters exploring topics such as chemical element abundances; galaxies, galactic magnetic fields and cosmic rays; galactic chemical evolution.
Key Features:
- Contains extensive lists of reference and additional reading.
- Includes new hypotheses concerning the origin of life.
- Combines consideration from nuclear physics, astrophysics, astro- and geochemistry.
Despite its interdisciplinary nature, this book remains accessible to nonexperts, and would be a valuable companion for both experts and laypeople.
Author(s): Vlado Valkovic
Edition: 1
Publisher: CRC Press
Year: 2021
Language: English
Pages: 344
Tags: nuclear physics; astrophysics; astrobiology
Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
Author
1 Chemical Elements Abundances
1.1 Element Synthesis
1.1.1 Big Bang Nucleosynthesis
1.1.2 Li–Be–B Abundance Depletion
1.1.3 Nucleosynthesis in Stars
1.1.4 Heavy Nuclides Production
1.2 Cosmic (Universal) Element Abundances
1.2.1 Cosmic Dust
1.3 Solar System Abundances
1.4 Earth Abundances
1.4.1 Crust and Atmosphere Abundances
1.4.2 Seawater Abundances
References
Additional reading
2 Galaxies, Galactic Magnetic Fields and Cosmic Rays
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Black Holes
2.3 Galaxies in the Universe
2.3.1 Redshift, Distance and Age of Galaxies
2.3.2 Some Examples of the Observed Galaxies
2.3.3 Milky Way Galaxy
2.3.3.1 Chemical Evolution of the Milky Way Galaxy
2.4 Galactic Magnetic Fields
2.4.1 Origin of the Magnetic Fields
2.4.2 Milky Way Galaxy and Its Magnetic Field
2.4.3 Magnetic Fields in Galaxy Clusters
2.4.4 Magnetic Fields in Galactic Clouds
2.4.5 Enhanced Magnetic Activity of Superflare Stars
2.4.6 Magnetic Field of Our Sun
2.5 Cosmic Rays
2.5.1 Galactic Cosmic Rays
2.5.2 Acceleration of Cosmic Rays
2.5.3 Elemental Composition of Cosmic Rays
2.5.3.1 Boron- to-Carbon Ratio
2.5.4 Neutrinos
2.5.5 Cosmic Rays–Dust Particles Interaction
References
Additional reading
3 Galactic Chemical Evolution
3.1 Age–Metallicity Relation
3.2 Galactic Chemical Evolution Models
3.3 Damped Lyman-Alpha Systems
3.4 Multi-messenger Astronomy
References
Additional Reading
4 Living Matter
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Elemental Composition of Living Matter
4.2.1 Essential Trace Elements for Life
4.2.1.1 Lithium
4.2.1.2 Boron
4.2.1.3 Fluorine
4.2.1.4 Silicon
4.2.1.5 Vanadium
4.2.1.6 Chromium
4.2.1.7 Manganese
4.2.1.8 Iron
4.2.1.9 Cobalt
4.2.1.10 Nickel
4.2.1.11 Copper
4.2.1.12 Zinc
4.2.1.13 Arsenic
4.2.1.14 Selenium
4.2.1.15 Molybdenum
4.2.1.16 Iodine
4.2.1.17 Tungsten
4.2.2 Concentration Factors
4.2.2.1 Possible Effects of Magnetic Field on Concentration Factor
4.3 Origin of Trace Element Requirements
4.4 Present Life on the Earth
4.4.1 Domain Bacteria
4.4.2 Domain Archaea
4.4.3 Domain Eukarya
4.4.3.1 Trace Elements in Human Nutrition and Health
4.5 Chirality Phenomenon
4.5.1 Origin of Chirality
References
Additional Readings
5 Time and Place of the Origin of Life
5.1 Introduction
5.2 LUCA
5.3 Origin of Life on the Earth
5.4 Origin of Life in the Universe
5.4.1 Cosmic Dust
5.5 Extraterrestrial Intelligent Life
5.6 Life in the Universe
References
Additional reading
6 Multiverse Cosmological Models and Anthropic Principle
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Standard ΛCDM Cosmological Model
6.2.1 Dark Matter
6.3 Multiverse Cosmological Models
6.4 Anthropic Principle
6.5 Origin of Life
References
Additional Reading
7 Open Problems – Laboratory Experiments
7.1 Nuclear Physics Experiments
7.1.1 (n, 2n) Reactions on Light Elements: [sup(10)]B(n, 2n)[sup(9)]B
7.1.2 (n,[sup(2)]n) Reaction on d Followed by [sup(2)]n-Induced Reactions on Li Isotopes
7.2 Experiments with Boron
7.2.1 Boron Concentration Measurements
7.2.2 Preferential Destruction of Enantiomers
7.3 Effects of Magnetic Field on Living Matter
7.3.1 Introduction
7.3.2 Biological Effects of Very Low Magnetic Fields
7.3.3 Experiments with the Varying Magnetic Field Intensities
7.3.3.1 Magnetic Shields – Zero Gauss Chamber
7.3.4 Possible Effects of Magnetic Field on Concentration Factor
7.3.5 Boron Determination – A Review of Analytical Methods
7.3.6 Modern Magnetic Field Measurement Devices
7.3.7 Experimental Setup
7.3.7.1 Growth of Bacillus subtilis in Reduced Magnetic Field Intensity
7.3.7.2 Discussion and Speculations
References
Additional reading
Index
