Probability / Origin of Life

Keith B Miller (kbmill@ksu.ksu.edu)
Fri, 23 Feb 1996 07:51:38 -0600

Concerning the origin of life issues raised by Glenn Morton and Eddie
Olmstead, I would suggest that people consult recent up-to-date summaries
of ongoing research. One of the best that I have seen is "Chemical
Evolution:Origin of Life" edited by Cyril Ponnamperuma and Julian
Chela-Flores, and published by A. Deepak Publishing, 1993. It is the
proceedings of the 1992 Trieste Conference on Chemical Evolution and the
Origin of Life. This volume addresses specifically the nature of the
simplest reproducing entities, the origin of metabolism, the origin of
chirality (the handedness of life), autocataysis of RNA, as well as other
issues. It is important in such discussions to be aware of the state of
present research.

Keith Miller
kbmill@ksu.ksu.edu