Chemoton Theory: Theory of Living Systems (Hardcover, 2004)

VI. About the World of Living in General.- What is Life?.- The ambiguity of the concept oflife.- Views concerning the essence oflife.- The standpoints of some outstanding philosophers.- The Most General Properties of Living Beings.- Empirical facts providing the basis for the theory.- Conclusions.- Life Criteria.- Alive, capable ofliving, dead, nonliving.- The levels of life.- Life criteria.- Chemotons as Living Systems.- Chemotons satisfy life criteria.- Chemotons are minimum systems of life.- VII. Chemical Evolution.- Setting of Objectives.- The Date of the Genesis of Life.- The Genesis of Earth.- The Primitive Atmosphere.- Chemical Evolution.- Energy source.- Initial compounds.- Low-molecular-weight products.- Abiotic formation of proteinoids.- Abiogenic formation of nucleic acids.- Formation of microscopic structures.- VIII. Biogenesis.- Models of Biogenesis.- Experimental models.- Qualitative theoretical models.- Quantitative theoretical models.- Metabolic Network of a Prebiotic Chemoton.- General aspects.- Autocatalytic subsystems.- Connective subsystems.- Additional pathways.- A qualitative.survey of the operation of the network.- Quantitative Description of Prebiotic Chemotons.- Strategy.- Membrane synthesis.- Template synthesis.- Combination of the two subsystems.- Synthesis of precursors.- Self-reproducing metabolic network.- Overall equation of the prebiotic chemoton.- IX. Prebiotic Evolution.- Beginnings of Prebiotic Evolution.- Conditions of biogenesis on Earth.- Spontaneous genesis of proliferating systems.- Spontaneous genesis of chemotons.- External conditions of early evolution.- The early evolution of chemotons.- Appearance of Enzyme Activity.- The problem of primitive catalysis.- Evolution of RNAs.- Development of enzyme RNAs.- The Origin of Coenzymes.- General considerations.- Coenzymes are the remnants of eRNAs.- The Origin of Genes and the Code.- The origin of genes.- The orig in of RNA polymerases.- The appearance of DNA.- The origin of code.- Summary.- X. Exobiological Outlook.- Introductory Remarks.- Possibility of the Existence ofNon-terrestrial Types of Life.- Non-carbon-based life.- Carbon-based life with a non-terrestrial type of metabolism.- Life of non-terrestrial origin witha terrestrial metabolism.- Exobiological Studies in the Solar System.- Dry celestial bodies.- Mars.- Galilean moons.- Giant planets.- XI. Outlines of a Quantitative Biology.- Some Genetic Considerations.- Self-(re)production without genetic subsystem.- Reproduction by a "technological recipe".- Hereditary properties acquired by adaptation.- General structure of the genetic material.- Quantitative Treatment of a Prokaryotic Cell.- Possibilities and limitations.- Stoichiometry of the minimum model of prokaryotes.- The Stoichiometric Principles of Evolution.- Csanyi's general theory of evolution.- Stoichiometric principles of the evolution of prokaryotes.- Evolution to eukaryotes.- Evolution of eukaryotes.- Applications in Biotechnology.- Limits of the prospective development of biotechnology.- One-step chemical syntheses.- Chemical syntheses by reaction networks.- Synthesis of Living Systems.- The objective of synthesis.- Neobiogenesis.- Possibility of an exact proof.- References.