94 life's beginning on the earth 



a contributory factor. Their action would have been to 

 produce an even greater variety of organic substances, so 

 many that finally, after millions of years, self-regenerating 

 enzymes appeared in a suitable medium of organic mater- 

 ials. It may be remarked that Dr. F. Haber, a noted 

 chemist and Nobel prize laureate, under whose guidance this 

 writer began his studies some thirty years ago, had per- 

 formed numerous experiments in which electrical discharges 

 were sent through carbon-containing gases like methane, 

 carbon dioxide, with the aim of obtaining, in this fashion, 

 sugars or other valuable materials ; but he completely failed 

 in this respect. Although some sugar was formed, a prac- 

 tically unlimited number of various other substances were 

 also formed; in fact, a mixture of hundreds of different ma- 

 terials which the most skilful chemist was unable to separ- 

 ate. Haber thus came to the conclusion that by means of 

 electrical discharges, through carbon-containing gases, prac- 

 tically "any substance known to organic chemistry" can be 

 formed. 



Is it not reasonable to assume that in the natural course 

 of events electric discharges passing through the carboni- 

 ferous atmosphere of the early earth during millions of years 

 must have given rise to a still greater variety of substances 

 until finally those rare and delicate materials appeared 

 which are enzymes capable of reproducing themselves? 

 These we regarded as the predecessors of life. The assump- 

 tion that sparks can eventually form self-regenerating 

 enzymes would seem to be even more probable if the early 

 earth had plenty of hydrocarbons in its atmosphere. And if 

 the earliest ocean was loaded with lifeless organic matter, 

 it would seem that somehow, somewhere, these spark- 

 generated enzymes must have found an environment suit- 

 able for their multiplication. 



Another important point which Oparin clearly empha- 

 sizes is that the abundant formation of organic substances, 



