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  • The Genesis Quest

  • The Geniuses and Eccentrics on a Journey to Uncover the Origin of Life on Earth
  • By: Michael Marshall
  • Narrated by: Ciaran Saward
  • Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
  • 5.0 out of 5 stars (2 ratings)
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The Genesis Quest

By: Michael Marshall
Narrated by: Ciaran Saward
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Summary

'The story of the quest to understand life's genesis is a universal one, in which everyone can find pleasure and fascination. By asking how life came to be, we are implicitly asking why we are here, whether life exists on other planets and what it means to be alive. This book is the story of a group of fragile, flawed humans who chose to wrestle with these questions. By exploring the origin of life, we can catch a glimpse of the infinite.'

How did life begin? Why are we here? These are some of the most profound questions we can ask. 

For almost a century, a small band of eccentric scientists has struggled to answer these questions and explain one of the greatest mysteries of all: how and why life began on Earth. There are many different proposals and each idea has attracted passionate believers who promote it with an almost religious fervour, as well as detractors who reject it with equal passion. 

But the quest to unravel life's genesis is not just a story of big ideas. It is also a compelling human story, rich in personalities, conflicts and surprising twists and turns. Along the way the journey takes in some of the greatest discoveries in modern biology, from evolution and cells to DNA and life's family tree. It is also a search whose end may finally be in sight. 

In The Genesis Quest, Michael Marshall shows how the quest to understand life's beginning is also a journey to discover the true nature of life and by extension our place in the universe. 

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2020 Michael Marshall (P)2020 Orion Publishing Group

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An excellent review of origin of life research

This is the best review of the current state of origin of life research. It covers all the various theories that have been proposed and introduces us to the many different scientists involved. The scope is very broad - the evidence for all the competing theories is presented and analysed comprehensively. Although we still don’t have a definitive solution, it seems like we are inching closer to a unified theory. The content is bang up to date and includes research conducted in the last 2-3 years. Some of the biochemistry is quite advanced, but the author builds up the evidence bit by bit so that it is accessible to anyone with some basic knowledge of science. I can strongly recommend this to anyone interested in where we all came from.

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Pitch perfect reading on research on life's origin

It's a very interesting read. The topic is obviously fascinating and the author made all the research come alive - pun "come alive" unintended but appropriate. If I had a criticism it might have been nice to have flaws pointed out during each chapter, as I often felt convinced onky to discover later what was wrong with each proposed approach.

I thought the narration was pitch perfect, enhancing the interesting content.

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