Historical Introduction: A.I. Oparin and the Origin of Life.- Chapters in Honor of "Proiskhozhdenie Zhizni" and A. I, Oparin.- Protein Structure and the Molecular Evolution of Biological Energy Conversion.- Condensation Reactions of Lysine in the Presence of Polyadenylic Acid.- Considerations of the Origin of Spontaneous Mutations.- Pre-Enzymic Emergence of Biochemical Metabolism.- The Methods of Science and the Origins of Life.- Phospholipid Monolayers-As a Prototype of Biological Membranes.- Peptides and Amino Acids in the Primordial Hydrosphere.- Amino Acids and Carbohydrates in Precambria.

The field of planetary biology and chemical evolution draws together experts in astronomy, paleobiology, biochemistry, and space science who work together to understand the evolution of living systems. This field has made exciting discoveries that shed light on how organic compounds came together to form self-replicating molecules-the origin of life. This volume updates that progress and offers recommendations on research programs-including an ambitious effort centered on Mars-to advance the field over the next 10 to 15 years. The book presents a wide range of data and research results on these and other issues: The biogenic elements and their interaction in the interstellar clouds and in solar nebulae. Early planetary environments and the conditions that lead to the origin of life. The evolution of cellular and multicellular life. The search for life outside the solar system. This volume will become required reading for anyone involved in the search for life's beginnings-including exobiologists, geoscientists, planetary scientists, and U.S. space and science policymakers.

First multi-year cumulation covers six years: 1965-70.

„The Roots of Modern Biochemistry ist eine gute Einführung in die moderne Biochemie, und als Einstieg sehr zu empfehlen.” Prof. Dr. Hans Fritz, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

"This book attempts to make a comprehensive, interdisciplinary case for a new view of the origin of life"--Prologue.

This book surveys the models for the origin of life and presents a new model starting with shaped droplets and ending with life as polygonal Archaea; it collects the most published micrographs of Archaea (discovered only in 1977), which support this conclusion, and thus provides the first visual survey of Archaea. Origin of Life via Archaea’s purpose is to add a new hypothesis on what are called “shaped droplets”, as the starting point, for flat, polygonal Archaea, supporting the Vesicles First hypothesis. The book contains over 6000 distinct references and micrographs of 440 extant species of Archaea, 41% of which exhibit polygonal phenotypes. It surveys the intellectual battleground of the many ideas of the origin of life on earth, chemical equilibrium, autocatalysis, and biotic polymers. This book contains 17 chapters, some coauthored, on a wide range of topics on the origin of life, including Archaea’s origin, patterns, and species. It shows how various aspects of the origin of life may have occurred at chemical equilibrium, not requiring an energy source, contrary to the general assumption. For the reader’s value, its compendium of Archaea micrographs might also serve many other interesting questions about Archaea. One chapter presents a theory for the shape of flat, polygonal Archaea in terms of the energetics at the surface, edges and corners of the S-layer. Another shows how membrane peptides may have originated. The book also includes a large table of most extant Archaea, that is searchable in the electronic version. It ends with a chapter on problems needing further research. Audience This book will be used by astrobiologists, origin of life biologists, physicists of small systems, geologists, biochemists, theoretical and vesicle chemists.