LIFE, CARBON'S OUTSTANDING PROPERTY 99 



rate entities: the differently-shaped living organisms being 

 merely the expressions of different chemical processes oc- 

 curring among the endlessly varying carbon compounds. 



Oparin finally expresses his view that the artificial syn- 

 thesis of living things is "very remote" but not unattainable 

 along the road which he outlined. We may point out that 

 we had reached the same conclusions starting from some- 

 what different viewpoints, and can emphasize again that 

 we agree with Oparin in all his essential ideas concerning 

 the origin of life. 



Another postscript remark should be added concerning the statement 

 on page 70 "that particles smaller than 1/5000 of a millimeter are not di- 

 rectly visible in a microscope." We know of devices which enable us to 

 recognize the existence of still smaller objects such as Zsigmondy's ultra- 

 microscope or the recently constructed electronic microscope, but these 

 devices do not operate with directly visible light. 



