How Life Began: Evolution's Three Geneses PDF
Preview How Life Began: Evolution's Three Geneses
HowLifeBegan How Life Began Evolution’s Three Geneses Alexandre Meinesz TranslatedbyDanielSimberloff TheUniversityofChicagoPress ChicagoandLondon AlexandreMeineszisprofessorattheUniversityofNice–SophiaAntipolis.Heisthe authorofmorethan200articlesandseveralbooks,includingKillerAlgae,alsopublished bytheUniversityofChicagoPress. DanielSimberloffistheNancyGoreHungerProfessorofEnvironmentalStudiesatthe UniversityofTennessee.HehaswrittenseveralhundredarticlesandcoeditedStrangersin Paradise:ImpactandManagementofNonindigenousspeciesinFlorida(IslandPress,1997). TheUniversityofChicagoPress,Chicago60637 TheUniversityofChicagoPress,Ltd.,London (cid:1)C 2008byTheUniversityofChicago Allrightsreserved.Published2008 PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 1 2 3 4 5 ISBN-13:978-0-226-51931-9 (cloth) ISBN-10:0-226-51931-7 (cloth) LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData Meinesz,Alexandre. Howlifebegan:evolution’sthreegeneses/AlexandreMeinesz;translatedbyDaniel Simberloff. p. cm. Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. ISBN-13:978-0-226-51931-9(cloth:alk.paper) ISBN-10:0-226-51931-7(cloth:alk.paper) 1.Life—Origin. I.Title. QH325.M36 2008 576.8(cid:2)3—dc22 2007035929 (cid:1)∞ThepaperusedinthispublicationmeetstheminimumrequirementsoftheAmerican NationalStandardforInformationSciences—PermanenceofPaperforPrintedLibrary Materials,ANSIZ39.48-1992. CONTENTS ............................................................... Acknowledgments vii Introduction 1 Chapter1 Henri’sCave 5 Chapter2 OntheOriginofLifeonEarth 23 Chapter3 Papa,What’saBacterium? 50 Chapter4 TheVampireSlugoftheKillerAlga 66 Chapter5 VermeerandVanLeeuwenhoek 96 Chapter6 TheDensimeter 121 Chapter7 TheLegoGame 142 Chapter8 Candide,JurassicPark,andNoah 172 Chapter9 TheEndoftheEvolutionaryString 197 Epilogue 227 Notes 235 Index 279 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................... Itwasin1998thataminibuspickedmeupinfrontofahotelinSeattle andtookmeandtheotherparticipantstoanecologyseminarhighupin the wooded hills of Washington State. I knew none of the others, and I foundmyselfsittingbetweentwoseniorAmericanresearcherswhowere discussingwhatseemedtome,aEuropean,tobeanoddsubject.Theywere comparing their scores for the number of countries, states, and counties theyhadvisitedduringtheiruniversitycareers.Ikeptquietandtalliedin mymindmyfeeblescorecomparedtothoseofthesegreattravelers.Iwas even more surprised at their arguments regarding the ranking, debated with real passion, of certain countries or counties that were difficult to accessorwereoutofthewayforthesegreatconferencegoers.Oneofthese scientificglobetrotterswasDanielSimberloff.Itwasonlyaftermylecture thatDancametoseemeand,inremarkablygoodFrench,begantoexpress interest in my research and my publications. That was the beginning of a long and amiable collaboration. He painstakingly translated my first book describing my battle to gain recognition of the harmfulness of an introduced invasive alga. It is the publication of this present work that marksthehighpointofourcollaboration.Manypeoplehaveplayedapart inputtingthefinaltouchestothisbookandhavebeeninvolvedinthelong processofpreparation,butallthesefriendsareawarethatthisworkcould nothaveseenthelightofdaywithoutthecommitment,enthusiasm,and unfailinghelpofDanielSimberloff,whotranslatedthetext.Itistohim thatIowethegreatestdebtofgratitude. Iwouldlike,too,tomentionmydaughter,MarjorieMeinesz,towhom Iamindebtedforthefaithfulandmeticulouspresentationofmydrawings vii viii Acknowledgments that illustrate the book. Finally, I would also like to acknowledge in particular the work of my editor, Christie Henry, who encouraged me unstintingly and was able to bring the work to fruition thanks to the perspicacity of the excellent reviewers, who remain anonymous to me, whomsheselected,andtowhomIamalsoverygrateful. INTRODUCTION ............................................................... Thepaintingissmallanddark,butfamous.Itisoneofthe30orsoknown paintings of Johannes Vermeer. The subject is unusual: an astronomer contemplatingaglobeoftheheavens.Theastronomerisalmostcertainly Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, a scientist who lived in Delft, Holland, in theseventeenthcentury.Atvarioustimesheworkedintheclothtrade, measured out wine, and administered estates; he wasa bailiff,surveyor, andastronomer.Butheisbestknownforperfectingandusinganexcellent smallmicroscope.Hewasthefirsttoseemicroscopiclife,organismsnot visibletothenakedeye.Forthefirsttime,amancouldseemicroorganisms swarming in water, spermatozoa in sperm, red blood cells. At a stroke, lifetookonanewdimension. Sincethen,manyofthemysteriesoflifeanditsoriginshavebeeneluci- datedwithincreasinglyabstractdimensions.Theaccumulationofdiscov- eriesisdizzying.Eachspecialistdelvesmoredeeplyintohiswellofexpert knowledgebutneverseesthebottom.Intheprocess,heforgetsmuchof whatliesaboveandsurroundshisspecialty.Thisiswhypopularmediatell us, in disordered, intermittent fashion, about multiple discoveries made inthediversedisciplinesofthelifesciences.Buttheconnectionsbetween thesebitsofknowledgeandtheirrelativeimportanceareblurredinour minds. I have tried to see this tableau clearly, and Vermeer’s painting has helped. IfyouvisittheLouvreinParis,goandadmirethegentlefaceofAntoni vanLeeuwenhoeklookingattherepresentationoftheheavensonasphere. Withonehand,hetightlygraspsatable,thematerialobjectsofthisworld. 1
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