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A historical survey of theories and experiments
concerned with the origin of life is followed by a sketch
of new ideas and experiments by which the gaps in our understanding
may be filled. The principal new idea is that a search for
chemical models of primitive life which are highly tolerant
of errors may result in the recognition of structures which
do not involve exact replication of molecules. It is suggested
that genes originated later, as parasites infecting an earlier
non-replicating fauna. As the word origins in the title
implies, the author suggests that we should look carefully
at the notion that life began twice, once with cells and
later with genes.
The book is based on the Tarner lectures,
given with the support of Trinity College, Cambridge, to
a mixed university audience of educated but not expert listeners.
It is therefore written for such a non-specialist reader.
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