How did life on Earth arise? This question has captured the imagination of curious minds ever since the dawn of humanity. Countless myths have been told, but a plausible scientific explanation has resisted 160 years of vigorous research since Darwin. Now, for the first time in this book, physicist Karo Michaelian reviews a bold new theory founded on non-equilibrium thermodynamic principles. As with all irreversible processes, life could only arise, proliferate, and evolve by dissipating an external generalized chemical potential. Michaelian identifies this external potential as the...

How did life on Earth arise, and does life have a purpose? These questions have captured the imagination of curious minds ever since the dawn of humanity. Countless myths have been told, but a plausible scientific explanation has resisted 160 years of vigorous research since Darwin. In this book, award winning physicist Karo Michaelian reviews a bold new theory founded on non-equilibrium thermodynamic principles. Life is recognized as a thermodynamic process which could only arise, proliferate, and evolve by dissipating an external generalized chemical potential. Michaelian identifies this...