The Third Domain - The Untold Story of Archaea

The Third Domain
by Tim Friend (Author)

Product Details
Hardcover: 312 pages
Publisher: Joseph Henry Press; 1 edition (July 12, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0309102375

Book Description
The Third Domain is the untold story of how the discovery of a new form of life--one ignored for the past thirty years by mainstream scientists--is revolutionizing science, industry, and even our search for the existence of life beyond Earth.
For most of the history of science, people have been taught that the tree of life consists of two branches--one represented by bacteria and the other by all of the multi-celled organisms, including plants and animals. Few people realize that there is a third branch on that tree, or a third domain of life.
The scientific community was, therefore, shocked when in 1977, a lone scientist named Carl Woese determined that the archaea - biochemically and genetically unique organisms that live and thrive in some of the most inhospitable environments on Earth - were a distinct form of life, unlike anything seen on Earth before. It was an astonishing discovery. Initially labeled as an unimportant and novel form of bacteria, today key leaders of the scientific community are calling the archaea one of the most important scientific revelations of the 20th century.
The Third Domain tells the story of their strange potential - maverick entrepreneur Craig Venter now believes that the archaea holds critical importance to the biotech industry - and investigates their incredible history - many believe that they are the oldest form of life on Earth - to provide a riveting account of an astonishing discovery.

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