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Origin of life
!Q4
BOOK REVIEW
V()I,. 12
(rq53)
REFI~,RENCt~.S 1 lI. NIEMEYER, R. K. CR,\NE, l{. |'. KENNEDY AND l q'. LIPMANN Fedora/ion Pro~:., re (195I) 22c?: ]¢J. .hbc. l¢iol. Slgo. C1Hle (in press). 2 F. E. HUNTER, l)hosp/lorzts :llelabolis~n, I (E95 I) 297. a ~1. RABINOVITZ, M. 1'. ~TULBERG AND P. D. I~OYER, ,qcience, I~ 4 (T95 t) 64r. 4 I I . A. I,ARDY AND It. \~'ELLMAN, ,]. lHol. Cicero., ~95 (1052) 215(;. \V. E. i'LAUT AND K. A. PLAUT,.]. tHol. Chem., J99 (I952) 14 ~. 6 R. I~. JOIlNSON AND \V. \V. ACKt~RMANN, ./. t~ioL (?l~cJn., 20o (~q53) 2(~3. 7 r . A. I~;ELI'rZFR, l'~.=ymoh~gia, 0 (1939) I. s H. NIEMFVi~:R AX'J) J. JALIL, 1301. NOC. Biol. Stgo. C/tile (in press). 9 p. SIEK~.VrrZ AND V. R. POTTY:R, ./. Biol. C/tern., 2oi (1953) 1. l0 \7. i¢. IkrrrltR aal) R. O. RI~.CKNAC.EL, Ph~)sphorzts ~Ielabolis*n, r ([95 ~) 377. n 11..'\. l.xR~w AXD tl. \VELLMaN, .]. l~ioL C]~em., 2o~ (1953) 357. ~ R. F. \Vvr'H~R, E. It. NJ~wcoxm AN~) t:. S'rOTZ, .]. Z~iol, C]~em., _,o2 (~953) 29~. la V. R. I)of'ri~R, (;. G. LVLE AND \\'. C. SCHNEI1)ER, ,/. tJioL ('hc,~., r9o (195 I) 293. 1t l[. A. LAR~)V, in discussion on "oxidatix e phost)horylation during electron transport", Phos/~horus 31clabolism, ~ (~95~) 389 . 15 \V. C. ,~CHNEIDER, ill 34anomctric Techniques a~d Tissm' :lie/abort
BOOK
REVIEW
O r i g i n o~ L i / e h y A. I. OPARIN. T r a n s l a t e d Second edition. Dover Publications, bound
$1.7o,
cloth bound
with annotations
b y SERGIUS MORGULIS.
N e w Y o r k , 1953, x x v i i i a n d 27 ° p a g e s , p a p e r
$ 3.5o.
J u d g i n g from earlier publications on the subject, one feels r a t h e r reluctant to take in h a n d a book which p r o m i s e s so much. However, the lecture is a h a p p y surprise. The a u t h o r endeavours everywhere to base his theories on the solid g r o u n d of well-studied facts; and still he has the courage to p r e s e n t a solution for m o s t of the essential difficulties of the problem. This solution often looks a sound one and a l m o s t always is it w o r t h serious consideration. OPARIN a s s u m e s t h a t the E a r t h was formed according to the t h e o r y of JEANS, t h a t the c r u s t was first in a molten condition at a high t e m p e r a t u r e and t h a t it cooled gradually down. This conception is entirely obsolete and should have been corrected in the new edition. B u t this does not weaken one of the corner-stones of the t h e o r y : the a s s u m p t i o n t h a t carbon and nitrogen a p p e a r e d originally in the form of carbides and nitrides. B y interaction with w a t e r vapour, h y d r o c a r b o n s , a m m o n i a and their simplest derivatives are formed; later, high molecular conlpounds and proteins appear. The n e x t crucial point is the coacervation of these colloids, b y which the organic s u b s t a n c e is localized into definite units. The a u t h o r tries to r e c o n s t r u c t the s u b s e q u e n t evolution by studying the c o m p a r e d b i o c h e m i s t r y of recent organisms; this is a v e r y promising w a y of attack, and we feel t h a t the a u t h o r is here in his own field of scientific activity. The conclusion of the book is characteristic of the wise h u t courageous a t t i t u d e of mind of OPARIN : " W e are still far remote from a comprehensive knowledge of the living organisms to even dream of a t t e m p t i n g their chemical synthesis . . . The artificial building or synthesis of living beings is a very remote, b u t not an u n a t t a i n a b l e goal." The first edition of this fascinating book, published in Russian in 1936, was translated into English in 1938. This second edition is an integral reproduction of tile earlier one, w i t h the addition only of a s h o r t introduction by the translator, in which a few recent advances of biochemistry are mentioned. The translation is written in an unaffected and lively style. The t e x t is accessible to the general reader and at the same time interesting for the biochemist. [t is a pleasure to notice t h a t the a u t h o r has all excellent knowledge of \Vestern scientific literature (including p a p e r s in Italian and in Dutch), and it is profitable to be introduced b y hinl to the work of m a n y R u s s i a n s (5 ° o u t of 231 references). M. Y[INNAERT (Utrecht)
BOOK REVIEW
V()I,. 12
(rq53)
REFI~,RENCt~.S 1 lI. NIEMEYER, R. K. CR,\NE, l{. |'. KENNEDY AND l q'. LIPMANN Fedora/ion Pro~:., re (195I) 22c?: ]¢J. .hbc. l¢iol. Slgo. C1Hle (in press). 2 F. E. HUNTER, l)hosp/lorzts :llelabolis~n, I (E95 I) 297. a ~1. RABINOVITZ, M. 1'. ~TULBERG AND P. D. I~OYER, ,qcience, I~ 4 (T95 t) 64r. 4 I I . A. I,ARDY AND It. \~'ELLMAN, ,]. lHol. Cicero., ~95 (1052) 215(;. \V. E. i'LAUT AND K. A. PLAUT,.]. tHol. Chem., J99 (I952) 14 ~. 6 R. I~. JOIlNSON AND \V. \V. ACKt~RMANN, ./. t~ioL (?l~cJn., 20o (~q53) 2(~3. 7 r . A. I~;ELI'rZFR, l'~.=ymoh~gia, 0 (1939) I. s H. NIEMFVi~:R AX'J) J. JALIL, 1301. NOC. Biol. Stgo. C/tile (in press). 9 p. SIEK~.VrrZ AND V. R. POTTY:R, ./. Biol. C/tern., 2oi (1953) 1. l0 \7. i¢. IkrrrltR aal) R. O. RI~.CKNAC.EL, Ph~)sphorzts ~Ielabolis*n, r ([95 ~) 377. n 11..'\. l.xR~w AXD tl. \VELLMaN, .]. l~ioL C]~em., 2o~ (1953) 357. ~ R. F. \Vvr'H~R, E. It. NJ~wcoxm AN~) t:. S'rOTZ, .]. Z~iol, C]~em., _,o2 (~953) 29~. la V. R. I)of'ri~R, (;. G. LVLE AND \\'. C. SCHNEI1)ER, ,/. tJioL ('hc,~., r9o (195 I) 293. 1t l[. A. LAR~)V, in discussion on "oxidatix e phost)horylation during electron transport", Phos/~horus 31clabolism, ~ (~95~) 389 . 15 \V. C. ,~CHNEIDER, ill 34anomctric Techniques a~d Tissm' :lie/abort
BOOK
REVIEW
O r i g i n o~ L i / e h y A. I. OPARIN. T r a n s l a t e d Second edition. Dover Publications, bound
$1.7o,
cloth bound
with annotations
b y SERGIUS MORGULIS.
N e w Y o r k , 1953, x x v i i i a n d 27 ° p a g e s , p a p e r
$ 3.5o.
J u d g i n g from earlier publications on the subject, one feels r a t h e r reluctant to take in h a n d a book which p r o m i s e s so much. However, the lecture is a h a p p y surprise. The a u t h o r endeavours everywhere to base his theories on the solid g r o u n d of well-studied facts; and still he has the courage to p r e s e n t a solution for m o s t of the essential difficulties of the problem. This solution often looks a sound one and a l m o s t always is it w o r t h serious consideration. OPARIN a s s u m e s t h a t the E a r t h was formed according to the t h e o r y of JEANS, t h a t the c r u s t was first in a molten condition at a high t e m p e r a t u r e and t h a t it cooled gradually down. This conception is entirely obsolete and should have been corrected in the new edition. B u t this does not weaken one of the corner-stones of the t h e o r y : the a s s u m p t i o n t h a t carbon and nitrogen a p p e a r e d originally in the form of carbides and nitrides. B y interaction with w a t e r vapour, h y d r o c a r b o n s , a m m o n i a and their simplest derivatives are formed; later, high molecular conlpounds and proteins appear. The n e x t crucial point is the coacervation of these colloids, b y which the organic s u b s t a n c e is localized into definite units. The a u t h o r tries to r e c o n s t r u c t the s u b s e q u e n t evolution by studying the c o m p a r e d b i o c h e m i s t r y of recent organisms; this is a v e r y promising w a y of attack, and we feel t h a t the a u t h o r is here in his own field of scientific activity. The conclusion of the book is characteristic of the wise h u t courageous a t t i t u d e of mind of OPARIN : " W e are still far remote from a comprehensive knowledge of the living organisms to even dream of a t t e m p t i n g their chemical synthesis . . . The artificial building or synthesis of living beings is a very remote, b u t not an u n a t t a i n a b l e goal." The first edition of this fascinating book, published in Russian in 1936, was translated into English in 1938. This second edition is an integral reproduction of tile earlier one, w i t h the addition only of a s h o r t introduction by the translator, in which a few recent advances of biochemistry are mentioned. The translation is written in an unaffected and lively style. The t e x t is accessible to the general reader and at the same time interesting for the biochemist. [t is a pleasure to notice t h a t the a u t h o r has all excellent knowledge of \Vestern scientific literature (including p a p e r s in Italian and in Dutch), and it is profitable to be introduced b y hinl to the work of m a n y R u s s i a n s (5 ° o u t of 231 references). M. Y[INNAERT (Utrecht)