Biological Innovations that Built the World A Four-billion-year Jour

The book is a detailed account of major biological events that contributed to create the present world and our species, with emphasis on cause-effect interrelationships and environmental impact. Its main goal is to guide the reader toward an understanding

  • PDF / 18,201,480 Bytes
  • 498 Pages / 439.42 x 683.15 pts Page_size
  • 36 Downloads / 177 Views

DOWNLOAD

REPORT


Biological Innovations that Built the World A Four-billion-year Journey through Life and Earth History

Biological Innovations that Built the World

Roberto Ligrone

Biological Innovations that Built the World A Four-billion-year Journey through Life and Earth History

Roberto Ligrone Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli” Caserta, Italy

ISBN 978-3-030-16056-2 ISBN 978-3-030-16057-9 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16057-9

(eBook)

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG. The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland

Front cover credit: By NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Arizona State University – http://www. nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/lro-earthrise-2015, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia. org/w/index.php?curid=45729896

Nothing in science is accepted on the grounds of authority, revelation, faith, or longevity. Heresy is not hostile to science; it is the very process of science. Paul M. Bingham and Joanne Souza (2009)

To Gabriella and Stefano, the best part of my life, with love

Preface

All organisms living on Earth, however different, share hundreds of complex traits inherited from a common ancestor. The grand unification of biological sciences performed by the molecular revolution in the last decades has crystallized this notion, pointing to life as a unitary phenomenon. Quite paradoxically, in the same time interval, the level of specialization of biological sciences has risen to the point where researchers working in different areas have few occasions for cultural interaction and, sadly, know little biology outside their own field. This is a particularly serious problem for human bio