Foreword 



The Question of the origin of life is one of the fundamental problems of science. 

 However, for almost the whole of the first half of the present century this prob- 

 lem has occupied only an insignificant place in the world scientific literature. It 

 is only in recent years that there has arisen a certain turning point in this respect 

 and a great interest in the question of the origin of life has developed in wide 

 circles of scientists. 



In this connection it has been suggested that the time is ripe for drawing up 

 an account of our knowledge of the problem of the origin of life and to point out 

 ways in which it can be further studied. 



In 1955 the General Assembly of the International Union of Biochemistry, 

 gathered together in Brussels, put forward the desirability of calling a special 

 International Symposium on the subject. It was suggested that the place of this 

 Symposium should be the Soviet Union, the scientists of which had made a 

 considerable contribution to the solution of the problem of the origin of life. 



Following up the initiative of the International Union of Biochemistry, the 

 Academy of Sciences of the U.S.S.R. organized a Symposium devoted to the 

 problem of the origin of life on the Earth, which was held in Moscow in August 

 1957- 



This Symposium attracted the attention of very wide circles of scientists. More 

 than forty scientists, representing sixteen countries, took a direct, personal part 

 in its work. Many of them were outstanding investigators in their own fields. 

 Their names are known all over the world. 



Among the participants in the Symposium were: E. Broda and O. Hoffmann- 

 Ostenhof (Austria), I. Prigogine and M. Florkin (Belgium), Zh. ïordanov 

 (Bulgaria), R. L. M. Synge, J. D. Bemal and N. W. Pirie (Great Britain), F. 

 Straub (Himgary), K. Fehx, G. Schramm and A. Wacker (Federal German 

 RepubHc), K. Mothes and J. Böttger (German Democratic Repubhc), C, Reid 

 (Canada), In-Khun-Chen (China), J. Heller, B. Skarzinski and W. Nemerko 

 (Poland), S. Oeriu and E. Makovskiï (Rumania), L. Pauhng, M. Calvin, W. M. 

 Stanley, N. Horowitz, H. L. Fraenkel-Conrat, S. Miller, A. Mirsky and 

 E. Chargaff (U.S.A.), E. Aubel and M. Grunberg-Manago (France), I. Malek 

 and F. Sorm (Czechoslovakia), S. Akabori, M. Ishimoto and Y. Oda (Japan). 



In addition, many well-known scientists, such as H. Urey (U.S.A.), K. Bahadur 

 (India), F. Cedrangolo (Italy), J. Brächet (Belgium) and others who could not, for 

 one reason or another, come to Moscow themselves, sent the texts of their papers 

 and contributions with the request that they be presented to a session of the 

 Symposium or included in its printed works. Soviet scientific circles also took 

 a great interest in the Symposium. A number of Soviet astronomers, physicists, 

 geologists, chemists and biologists took part in it. About 500 visitors, in addition 

 to the members, attended the sessions of the Symposium and they sometimes 

 took part in the general discussions. 



