The origin and early evolution of life on earthResults of the studies that have provided insights into the cosmic and primitive earth environments are reviewed with emphasis on those environments in which life is thought to have originated. The evidence bearing on the antiquity of life on the earth and the prebiotic significance of organic compounds found in interstellar clouds and in primitive solar-system bodies such as comets, dark asteroids, and carbonaceous chondrites are assessed. The environmental models of the Hadean and early Archean earth are discussed, as well as the prebiotic formation of organic monomers and polymers essential to life. The processes that may have led to the appearance in the Archean of the first cells are considered, and possible effects of these processes on the early steps of biological evolution are analyzed. The significance of these results to the study of the distribution of life in the universe is evaluated.
Document ID
19910030599
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Authors
Oro, J. (Houston, University TX, United States)
Miller, Stanley L. (California, University La Jolla, United States)
Lazcano, Antonio (Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico Coyoacan, Mexico)