Kin How We Came to Know Our Microbe Relatives

Since Darwin, people have speculated about the evolutionary relationships among dissimilar species, including our connections to the diverse life forms known as microbes. In the 1970s biologists discovered a way to establish these kinships. This new era of exploration began with Linus Pauling s finding that every protein in every cell contains a huge reservoir of evolutionary history. His discovery opened a research path that has changed the way biologists and others think about the living world.

About the author

John L. Ingraham is Professor of Microbiology, Emeritus, at the University of California, Davis.

Summary

By unlocking the evolutionary information contained in cells, biologists have been able to construct the Tree of Life and show that its three main stems are dominated by microbes. Plants and animals constitute a small upper branch in one stem. Soon we may know how life began over 3.5 billion years ago. John Ingraham tells this story of discovery.

Product details

• Authors: John L Ingraham, John L. Ingraham, Ingraham John L.
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Content: Book
• Product form: Hardback
• Publication date: 31.05.2017
• Subject: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology; Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > Sociological theories
• EAN: 9780674660403
• ISBN: 978-0-674-66040-3
• Pages: 270
• Dimensions (packing): 14.6 x 21.6 x 2.5 cm
• Subjects: Microbiology (non-medical), Evolution, SCIENCE / History, SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Evolution, SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Microbiology, History of Science, Evolution / Evolutionary biology