178 WHAT IS LIFE 



organic substances either directly belong to a dual 

 atomic-intraatomic system^ in which system they {mat- 

 ter) form a secondary system (combinations occurring 

 as permitted by the combinations that take place 

 in the primary system), or are the direct or indirect 

 product of such a system. 



Also: Since this theory of life is built on the 

 planetary atom and predicates peculiarities of 

 equilibrium conditions of the atomic system (of the 

 dual-system) such as are actually found to character- 

 ize organic substances, and which peculiarities here- 

 tofore have seemed difficult to account for on the 

 planetary atom {see pp. 91,92), it follows that the 

 theory removes these difficulties that have attached 

 to the planetary atom. 



XVII. The theory of the origin of life on the 

 earth. 



It is the concept that the origin of life on the 

 earth was due to physicochemical conditions that 

 developed a critical concentration of ions which re- 

 sulted in the formation of dual-systems (as described 

 in Chapter Five — The Setting Up of New Relations). 

 The intraatomic system, the Z-system, of such a 

 dual system is defined as life. 



That the early, lifeless earth just before the first 

 advent of life provided the conditions required by 

 the theory, cannot be doubted. 



