John Maynard Smith is an internationally renowned biologists, widely respected for the originality of his ideas
and quality of his thinking. He is a Professor in the School of Biological Sciences, University of Sussex.
Szathmary, Eors : Collegium Budapest
Eors Szathmary is a Professor at the Collegium Budapest, in Hungary.
Review
"Moving speedily from epoch to epoch, fueled by a few important concepts (such as the division of labor)
and explaining all the genetics they use, Smith and Szathmary show `just how difficult it has been to evolve complex
organisms whose genes cooperate rather than compete'.... Compact, dense, formidable yet accessible, this book exposes
readers to the cutting edge in theoretical evolutionary biology."
--Publishers Weekly
"Compact, dense, formidable yet accessible, this book exposes readers to the cutting edge in theoretical evolutionary
biology."
--Publishers Weekly
Oxford Web Site, August, 2001
Summary
A landmark work by two leading biologists, illuminating the path of evolution from the first tiny cells to human
beings--now rewritten for general readers
When John Maynard Smith and Eors Szathmary published The Major Transitions in Evolution, it was seen as a major
work in biology. Nature hailed it as a book of "grand and daunting sweep...A splendid and rewarding tour de
force." And New Scientist wrote that it captured "the essence of modern biology," calling it "an
extremely significant book which, as a bonus, is very readable." Now, in The Origins of Life, Maynard Smith
and Szathmary have completely rewritten Transitions to bring their ideas to a wider audience of general readers.
Here is a brilliant, original picture of how life evolved on earth, focusing primarily on six major transitions
dramatic breakthroughs in the way that information was passed between generations. The authors offer illuminating
explorations of the origin of life itself, the arrival of the first cells with nuclei, the first reproduction by
sexual means, the appearance of multicellular plants and animals, the emergence of cooperative animal societies,
and the birth of language.
The Origins of Life represents the thinking of two leading scientists on questions that engage us all how life
began and how it gradually evolved from tiny invisible cells into whales and trees and human beings.
Table of Contents
Preface Life and Information
The major transitions
From chemistry to heredity
From the RNA world to the modern world
From heredity to simple cells
The origin of eukaryotic cells
The origin of sex
Genetic conflict
Living together
The evolution of many-celled organisms
Animal societies
From animal to human societies
The origin of language Glossary
Notes
Further reading
Index
