92 THE ORIGIN OF LIFE 



are capable of giving origin to what we know as 

 living matter, but also that there are heat limits 

 for them beyond which this process will no longer 

 occur; these heat limits being, however, very dis- 

 tinctly higher than those for organic solutions 

 probably because the less complex molecules of the 

 colloidal saline solutions are not so easily broken 

 up by heat as are the micellse of organic infusions. 

 How these destructive heat limits are liable to 

 vary for different combinations of the saline in- 

 gredients I have already briefly indicated (pp. 

 47-52). 



It may well be asked, What possible explanation 

 can be given of this process of Archebiosis occur- 

 ring within the experimental vessels? And in 

 answer one can only say that no explanation is as 

 yet possible; nor can we even explain what is the 

 nature of the force that binds this or that kind of 

 molecule with others of like kind into such aggre- 

 gates as exist in all colloidal compounds. Yet 

 this, too, is a force very commonly in operation 

 where it was previously little suspected, seeing 

 that the molecules of various metals are now known 

 to be capable of existing in colloidal combinations, 

 as well as some of their compounds. Svedberg 



