Ebook: Foresight: How the Chemistry of Life Reveals Planning and Purpose

About the Book

In Foresight: How the Chemistry of Life Reveals Planning and Purpose, learn about jumping insects with real gears, and the ingenious technology behind a power-punching shrimp. Enter the strange world of carnivorous plants. And check out a microscopic protein machine in a bird’s eye that may work as a GPS device by harnessing quantum entanglement. Join renowned Brazilian scientist Marcos Eberlin as he uncovers a myriad of artful solutions to major engineering challenges in chemistry and biology, solutions that point beyond blind evolution to the workings of an attribute unique to minds—foresight.

About the Author

Marcos N. Eberlin is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and holds a PhD in chemistry from the University of Campinas. After postdoctoral work at Purdue, he founded the Thomson Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, growing it into a highly distinguished lab and supervising some 200 graduate and post-doctoral students, scientists who today work as researchers and professionals all around the globe. Winner of the prestigious Thomson Medal (2016) and the former president of the International Mass Spectrometry Foundation, Eberlin is recognized worldwide as one of the most productive mass spectrometrists ever, having published close to 1,000 scientific articles.
Endorsements

“I am happy to recommend this book to those interested in the chemistry of life. Marcos Eberlin is well established in the field of chemistry and presents the current interest in biology in the context of chemistry.”—Sir John B. Gurdon, PhD, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (2012)

“An interesting study of the part played by foresight in biology.”—Brian David Josephson, Nobel Prize in Physics (1973)

“Despite the immense increase of knowledge during the past few centuries, there still exist important aspects of nature for which our scientific understanding reaches its limits. Eberlin describes in a concise manner a large number of such phenomena, ranging from life to astrophysics. Whenever in the past such a limit was reached, faith came into play. Eberlin calls this principle ‘foresight.’ Regardless of whether one shares Eberlin’s approach, it is definitely becoming clear that nature is still full of secrets which are beyond our rational understanding and force us to humility.”—Gerhard Ertl, PhD, Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2007)

“In his newest book, Foresight, award-winning and prominent researcher Prof. Marcos Eberlin cogently responds to crucial questions about life’s origin, using an arsenal of current scientific data. Eberlin illustrates his points with varied examples that reveal incredible foresight in planning for biochemical systems. From cellular membranes, the genetic code, and human reproduction, to the chemistry of the atmosphere, birds, sensory organs, and carnivorous plants, the book is a light of scientific good sense amid the darkness of naturalistic ideology.”—Kelson Mota, PhD, Professor of Chemistry, Amazon Federal University, Manaus, Brazil

“Eberlin brilliantly makes use of his expertise, achieved in more than twenty-five years applying mass spectrometry in assorted areas such as biochemistry, biology, and fundamental chemistry to outline a convincing case that will captivate even the more skeptical readers.”—Rodinei Augusti, PhD, Full Professor of Chemistry, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

“Marcos Eberlin, one of the best chemists in the world today, has written a must-read, superb book for anyone considering what indeed science says of the universe and life.”—Dr. Maurício Simões Abrão, Professor at the University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Disorders

“Why would a man stand against an army? Perhaps the man is crazy. Perhaps he wants to commit suicide. Or just maybe the man has some very powerful weapons. Prof. Marcos Eberlin is this man. In Foresight, Eberlin challenges an almost universally accepted theory. What are his weapons for attacking such a strong fortress? It is your choice to agree or not with his evidence and arguments. You may in the end conclude he is right, or that he is indeed mad. But to understand Eberlin’s
side and to be intellectually honest, this is a must-read book.”—Brenno A. D. Neto, PhD, Professor of Chemistry, University of Brasília, Brasília, Brazil, Associate Editor for RSC Advances, a journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry

“Foresight fascinated me by its breadth and depth of knowledge of all things biological. Drawing from his specific field of chemistry, Marcos Eberlin reveals the astonishing ways that the chemistry of DNA and RNA make them perfect for their tasks. If you ever wondered in biology class why RNA uses ribose and DNA uses deoxyribose, or why RNA uses uracil and DNA thymine, Marcos Eberlin’s book will tell you why, and how their perfect suitability for their purpose is a remarkable example of foresight. As Eberlin’s detailed description reveals, the chemistry and biology of DNA and RNA come together in an interlocking puzzle that goes click when it’s all in place. The fit, and the foresight required to build it, are incredible. Eberlin’s book also deals with life on the organismal level—everything from our sense organs to sexual reproduction and the wondrous structure of a bird’s egg. Note also that none of his foresight arguments are based on a lack of knowledge. They are based on positive knowledge of how things work and how the parts of each system work together.”—Ann Gauger, PhD, Senior Fellow, Center for Science and Culture, Co-Author, Science and Human Origins

“Foresight is for those willing to challenge themselves with a new perspective, for free people who dare to go beyond scientific dogmas. Marcos Eberlin’s book is a journey through the evidence in chemistry and biology for the indispensable role of foresight in the origin of life and the universe, presented by the author in an easily understood and engaging way.”—Daniela de Luna Martins, PhD, Associate Professor of Chemistry, Fluminense Federal University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“Foresight provides refreshing new evidence, primarily from biology, that science needs to open its perspective on the origin of living things to account for the possibility that purely natural, materialistic evolution cannot account for these facts. The book is written in an easy-to-read style that will be appreciated by scientists and non-scientists alike and encourages the reader to follow the truth wherever it leads, as Socrates advised long ago.”—Michael T. Bowers, PhD, Distinguished Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara

https://discoveryinstitutepress.com/book/foresight/