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V. THE LABORATORY EXPERIENCE 



INTRODUCTION 



In chapter III we traced the history of the Earth back through 

 time by means of the rock record, yet it stops at 3.8 b.y., and 

 we know the Earth to be 4.5 b.y. old. We sought clues to the early 

 stages of the Earth's formation in chapter IV in our reconstruc- 

 tion of the evolution of the solar system, especially of the Earth, 

 from the interstellar gas and dust, yet we still found great gaps. One 

 theme which runs like a thread throughout our previous chapters, 

 however, is the role of organic molecules in the universe. 



A brief glimpse into the nature of organic matter in our bio- 

 sphere thus seems in order. It is necessary to spend some effort at a 

 rather more technical level than in most of this book to discuss what 

 are chiefly chemical questions. 



In the 19th century, as the microscope was perfected, the cell 

 was discovered. All organisms including ourselves are composed of 

 cells. The main function of a cell is to grow and divide. By the use of 

 dyes, various parts of the cell were recognized: nucleus, mitochon- 

 dria, chloroplasts, and centrioles. It was a great age of observation; 



A drawing made by an unknown artist to illustrate an early edition of 



Gulliver's Travels. Dr. Lemuel Gulliver [in "Gulliver's Travels"] reported 



on this device, which he saw in the National Academy of Laputa. 



"It was Twenty Foot square . . . The Superficies was composed of 



several Bits of Wood ... all linked together by slender Wires ..." 



On them "were written all the Words of their Language in their 



several . . . Declensions, but without any order .... The Pupils at 



his Command took each of them hold of an Iron Handle . . . and 



giving them a sudden Turn, the whole Disposition was entirely 



changed . . . the Professor shewed me several Volumes . . . already 



collected, of broken Sentences, which he intended to piece together 



. . . to give the World a compleat Body of all Arts and Sciences ..." 



The same logic applies to the origin of life, although we are looking for a 



less random hierarchy of processes, and a less elaborated system of 



selection. 



Provided by Phil Morrison, Cambridge, Mass. 1983 



