Contents 



Foreword ix 



Introductory Note from the International Union of Biochemistry xiii 



Editors' Preface xv 



Introductory Address, by A. I. Oparin* i 



Discours d'ouverture, by M. Florkin 5 



First Session (Chairman: M. Florkin) 

 Primary Formation of Primitive Organic Compounds on the Earth 



Reports 



V. G. Fesenkov : Some considerations about the primaeval state of the Earth 9 



H. C. Urey: Primitive planetary atmospheres and the origin of life {read by S. L. 



Miller) 16 



A. P. Vinogradov : The origin of the biosphere* 23 

 J. D. Bernal: The problem of stages in biopoesis 38 



Communications 

 V. A. Sokolov: The evolution of the atmosphere of the Earth* 54 



B. Yu. Levin: The formation of the Earth from cold material and the problem of the 



formation of the simplest organic substances* 67 



N. W. Pirie: Chemical diversity and the origins of life 76 



P. N. Kropotkin: The geological conditions for the appearance of life on the Earth 



and the problems of petroleum genesis 84 



A. P. Terent'ev and E. I. Klabunovskiï : The role of dissymmetry in the origin of 



living material {read by A. P. Terent'ev) 95 



Discussion (Chairman: L. Pauling): 106 



N. H. Horowitz, V. I. Krasovskii and I. S. Shklovskiï {read by 



I. S. Shklovskiï),* A. A. Garibyants,* N. M. Galaktionova,* 



A. I. Lebedinskiï,* I. S. Shklovskiï,* H. A. Lyubimova,* V. V. Alpatov,* 



A. S. Konikova,* J. D. Bernal, N. W. Pirie, 



A. E. Braunshteïn,* A. Kravtsov,* L. Pauling* 



Second Session (Chairman: J. D. Bernal) 

 The Transformation of Primary Organic Compounds on the Earth 



Reports 

 S. L. Miller: Formation of organic compounds on the primitive Earth 123 



A. N. Terenin : Photosynthesis in the shortest ultraviolet 136 



/ 



Communications 



K. Bahadur: The reactions involved in the formation of compounds preliminary to 

 ' the synthesis of protoplasm and other materials of biological importance 140 



T. E. Pavlovskaya and A. G. Pasynskiï : The original formation of amino acids 

 f under the action of ultraviolet rays and electric discharges (read by T. E. 



Pavlovskaya)* 151 



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