John Maynard Smith Books
John Maynard Smith (1920–2004) was a British evolutionary biologist and geneticist known for his work on evolutionary game theory and the evolution of sex.
Known for: The Origins of Life: From the Birth of Life to the Origin of Language
Books by John Maynard Smith
The Origins of Life: From the Birth of Life to the Origin of Language
This book explores how life began on Earth, examining the transition from simple chemical systems to complex biological organisms. The authors discuss the major steps in evolution, from the origin of replicating molecules to the emergence of multicellular life, providing a rigorous yet accessible synthesis of evolutionary biology and biochemistry.
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The Nature of Living Systems
Before we can ask how life began, we must ask what life is. In scientific terms, living systems stand apart because they both store information and use that information to make copies of themselves. They metabolize: that is, they transform materials and energy from their environment to sustain their...
From The Origins of Life: From the Birth of Life to the Origin of Language
The Origin of Replicating Molecules
Every subsequent chapter rests on one critical question: how did the first molecules capable of replication arise? We approach this with rigorous caution, reviewing leading hypotheses rather than proposing a new miracle. The most plausible framework is the RNA world hypothesis, which suggests that e...
From The Origins of Life: From the Birth of Life to the Origin of Language
About John Maynard Smith
John Maynard Smith (1920–2004) was a British evolutionary biologist and geneticist known for his work on evolutionary game theory and the evolution of sex.
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John Maynard Smith (1920–2004) was a British evolutionary biologist and geneticist known for his work on evolutionary game theory and the evolution of sex.
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