908 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVIII. No. 730 



realm of soil life seems yet far from being 

 exhausted by research either in respect to 

 the range of forms or the scope of their 

 chemical activities, but it is at least clear 

 that the soil is the foster-ground of 

 remarkable biochemical activities. Some 

 large part of such activities is dependent 

 on preexistent organic matter and is in no 

 sense initial, but in a significant part of it, 

 organic compounds do not seem to be pre- 

 requisite. This variety of action and these 

 peculiarities of the life of the soil-mantle 

 are at least suggestive of genetic condi- 

 tions. 



If we seek for such uncertain light as the 

 geological record may throw upon the hab- 

 itat of the first life, we are confronted by 

 the fact that the record makes only a very 

 distant approach to the real genesis of life. 

 If we permit ourselves to reason from the 

 nature of the Proterozoic formations, we 

 find grounds for a belief in a very early 

 mantling of the land surface with vegeta- 

 tion." A study of the early habitat of 

 some of the leading forms of life seems also 

 to favor the land or the land-waters.^^ 

 "While these geological considerations have 

 their obvious limitations and may seem to 

 be too far removed from the specific ques- 

 tion of organic synthesis to have much 

 value, they may at least be permitted to 

 serve as an offset to the prepossessions 

 which seem heretofore to have obtained 

 widely in favor of the origin of life in the 

 ocean. They may also help to bring into 

 equitable competition the view that primi- 

 tive organic synthesis may have found its 

 genetic conditions in some of the lowland 

 soils on the borders of the permanent water- 

 bodies. 



^ Chamberlin and Salisbury, " Geology," Vol. 

 n., pp. 139, 199, 302. 



^^ Chamberlin, " The Habitat of the Early Verte- 

 brates," Jour. Geol., Vol. VIII., 1900; Sardeson, 

 " The Phylogenio State of the Cambrian Gastero- 

 pods," Jour. Geol., Vol. XI., 1903; Chamberlin 

 and Salisbury, " Geology," Vol. II., p. 480. 



The original organic process was un- 

 doubtedly vegetative rather than animal 

 in type, i. e., the primitive organisms in- 

 creased the sum total of organic matter 

 and stored energy in it. The store of 

 energy attained by any given plant con- 

 sists (1) of that which it inherits with its 

 spore, seed or germinal part and (2) of 

 that which it adds thereto from terrestrial 

 and cosmic sources of energy. If the plant 

 feeds wholly on carbon dioxide, water, 

 nitrates, sulphates, phosphates and similar 

 wholly oxidised compounds, its sources of 

 free energy are essentially limited to two 

 classes: (1) radiant energy, derived chiefiy 

 from the sun and allied sources, and (2) 

 chemical energy, derived from the oxidation 

 of a portion of the germinal matter. The 

 peculiar cooperation of these two sources of 

 energy forms a distinctive combination. A 

 part of the energy set free by germinal 

 oxidation cooperates with the remainder 

 and vnth solar energy to build up addi- 

 tional complex compounds. This new com- 

 plex matter is built up from fully oxidized 

 material by deoxidation combined with a 

 synthetic process which gives it higher com- 

 plexity. This process obviously requires 

 additional energy. The synthetic function 

 resides primarily in the germinal matter, 

 for the formation of new compounds may 

 proceed to certain lengths without sunlight ; 

 but the main source of the energy required 

 for deoxidation resides in the sun. The 

 germinal matter thus seems to have two 

 phases of action: (1) simple oxidation, 

 which gives free energy for its own activi- 

 ties, and (2) synthetic stimulus, by which 

 complex carbon compounds are organized. 

 This last takes place at the outset by the 

 transformation of its own substance, but 

 later, with the cooperation of sunlight, by 

 the synthesis of simpler substances previ- 

 ously in a fully oxidized state. 



Now, if any inorganic matter is to take 



