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Contents
Foreword, V
Preface, ix
Chapter 1 Crisis in the Chemistry of Origins, page1
Chapter 2 The Theory of Biochemical Evolution, p11
Chapter 3 Simulation of Prebiotic Monomer Synthesis, p18
Chapter 4 The Myth of the Prebiotic Soup, p42
Chapter 5 Reassessing the Early Earth and its Atmosphere, p69
Chapter 6 Plausibility and Investigator Interference, p99
Chapter 7 Thermodynamics of Living Systems, p113
Chapter 8 Thermodynamics and the Origin of life, p127
Chapter 9 Specifying How Work is to be Done, p144
Chapter 10 Protocells, p167
Chapter 11 Summary and Conclusion, p182
Epilogue, p188
Appendix, p218
Selected Readings, p220
Index, p221
Charles B. Thaxton received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Iowa State University.
He was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University for two years where he
studied the history of science. He had a Postdoctoral appointment in the
biological laboratories at Brandeis University for three years. He co-authored
with Nancy Randolph Pearcey, Light Through a Prism: A World View Approach
to History of Science (Crossway, 1993). He was the Academic Editor for
a high school biology supplement, Of Pandas and People (Haughton,
1989). Dr. Thaxton is President of Konos Connection, a non-profit corporation
in Julian, California, and has lectured within the U.S. and Europe. In January,
1992 he moved with his family to Prague, Czechoslovakia. During 1992 he
held appointments at both the Slovak Technical University in Bratislava,
Czechoslovakia and the Biomathematical Institute in Craiova, Romania. He
holds memberships in the American Chemical Society, the American Association
for the Advancement of Science, and is a Fellow of both the American Institute
of Chemists and the American Scientific Affiliation.
Walter L. Bradley received his Ph.D. in Materials Science from the University
of Texas. He has participated as principal or co-principal investigator
on over three million dollars of contract research and has consulted for
many major corporations. He has published over 90 refereed papers in technical
journals and conference proceedings. He has been a Texas Engineering Experiment
Station Research Fellow since 1982 and was elected as an American Society
for Materials Fellow in 1991. He is currently Professor and Head of the
Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A & M University.
Roger L. Olsen received his Bachelor in Science degree in Chemistry in 1972
and his Ph.D. degree in Geochemistry in 1979. Both degrees were from the
Colorado School of Mines. Dr. Olsen has worked at the Colorado School of
Mines as an Instructor in Chemistry/Geochemistry, at Rockwell International
as a Research Chemist, and at D'Appolonia Consulting Engineers/International
Technology Corporation as a Project Geochemist. Dr. Olsen has made over
40 presentations at conferences and seminars and has published over 30 papers.
He is a member of the American Chemical Society, Sigma Xi and the Hazardous
Materials Research Institute. Dr. Olsen is a recognized expert in the fields
of geochemistry and environmental chemistry and has been an expert witness
in 12 cases. He is currently a vice president in the Denver, Colorado office
of Camp Dresser McKee, Inc., Consulting Engineers.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Thaxton, Charles B.
The mystery of life's origin.
Bibliography: p.220
Includes index.
1. Life-Origin. 2. Chemical evolution. 3. Life-Origin-Research. 4. Chemical
evolution-Research.
I. Bradley, Walter L. II. Olsen, Roger L. III. Title.
QH325.B68 1984 577 83-17463
ISBN 0-929510-02-8
©Copyright 1984 by Foundation for Thought and Ethics.
All rights reserved.
Fourth Printing September 1992.
Lambert Dolphin
lambert@ldolphin.org
Library