Fall 2001 Newsletter

Francois Raulin, Editor - David Deamer, Associate Editor
Web site design, Therese Frericks and Jason Dworkin

Note: if you are member of ISSOL and did not get an email from the ISSOL Newsletter Editor about the release of this issue, please send an email message to raulin@lisa.univ-paris12 only mentioning: ISSOL Member, with your exact and current email address

When I started the preparation of this editorial, end of August 2001, I was planning to write something like :

" The first year of the new millennium has been quite rich in activities of direct interest for ISSOL’ians. 2002 will be even richer, with many meetings of interest for the field of origin of Life. First of all, this will be the year of the ISSOL’02 meeting in Oaxaca . See below the invitation of our President, and the first announcement of the meeting, in the " meetings " chapter. This will be also the year of COSPAR’02 Meeting in Houston, part of the 2d Word Space Congress, and that of the Bioastronomy conference, held on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, but unfortunately just the week after ISSOL’02.

Just a few days after those terrible events, I received an email message from a friend and ISSOL member, Mohindra Chadha. This was for me a very emotional moment, that I would like all of us to share. I asked Mohindra if I may include his words in the ISSOL newsletter and he kindly agreed. I thus include below his words. As done just after the tragedy by Craig Tupper, (writer of the " Space Science news from NASA HQ " email newsletter), I would also like to quote Carl Sagan : his thinking are also quoted below.

As scientists, accustomed to meet so many colleagues and friends from all over the world, our feelings are those of Citizens of the Planet Earth rather than citizens of a particular nation and followers of certain faith. As such, we have a special contribution to make. It is to make this world a better place to live for ourselves and for generations to come. I am sure that many of us have the same feeling.

A few words from Mohindra S. Chadha

September 11, 2001 will stand as one of the most tragic days in our lives. For this to happen within the very first year of the new millennium is worrisome. There have been tragedies even greater in magnitude in the recent past, like the earthquake in Kutch, Gujarat, but those were not man-made! The recent tragedy, however, is not only man-made but it has grave elements of a strong cult, which is unbarring itself. If this religious fundamentalism is not tackled now, the future is grave for all of humanity. In India, particularly in Kashmir, the innocent population has been a victim of terrorism from across the borders for over a decade and the rulers of the neighbouring country dismiss it as Jihad (holy war). The attacks in N.Y.C. and Washington are also termed as Jihad, by the fundamentalists, but are nothing but naked terrorism.

All the right thinking nations will join the efforts of the most powerful nation in the world to curb, nay, up root the sources of such terrorism. We need a better world to live in than the present day terrorist- ridden world.

The fact that the victims of the terrible attack on the W.T.C. affected natives from over 30 countries is a testimony to the fact the there is hope for people of all nations to live and work together. We pray for all the innocent people who have been the victims of this dastardly happening. Their families have our deepest sympathies.

Fundamentalism, religious or of any other kind is an enemy of all Progress and Human Fellowship!

When contemplating a picture of Earth, taken from the Voyager spacecraft Carl Sagan said:

"We succeeded in taking that picture [from deep space], and, if you look at it, you see a dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives. The aggregate of all our joys and sufferings, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilizations, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every hopeful child, every mother and father, every inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history of our species, lived there on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam.

"The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of the dot on scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner of the dot. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturing, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light.

"Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity -- in all this vastness -- there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us. It's been said that astronomy is a humbling, and I might add, a character-building experience. To my mind, there is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."

An Invitation from ISSOL's President

A Call for Papers: Alan Schwartz, Origins of Life and Evolution of the Biosphere.

Books (Updated 11/2001)
G. Horneck and C. Baumstark-Khan (Eds.):
Astrobiology: The Quest for the Conditions of Life
Joseph Seckbach recently organized and edited a new book series entitled:
Cellular Origin and Life in Extreme Habitats.

Book reviews
A Theory on the Origin of Life plus a Brief History of Biochemistry
by Simon Black
reviewed by Florence Raulin-Cerceau
Uroboros, Or Biology Between Mythology And Philosophy
Edited by Wlodzimierz Lugowski and Koichiro Matsuno
reviewed by Florence Raulin-Cerceau

European Exo/Astrobiology Network

In memoriam
Dr. Harold P. Klein (1921 - 2001)

Meeting Announcements
10th ISSOL Meeting, Oaxaca City, Mexico, June 30-July 5, 2002
Other conferences
Bioastronomy 2002, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, July 8-12, 2002
34th COSPAR (2d World Space Congress), Houston, USA, 10-19 October 2002.

Scientific Forum / New publications

An Invitation from ISSOL's President

Less than a year from now, ISSOL's Latin American colleagues and the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) will host a gala triennial meeting -- June 30-July 5, 2002. Mark the dates on your calendar, now!

Over the years, we have met together in wonderful venues -- Barcelona (twice!), Berkeley, Jerusalem, Kyoto, Mainz, Moscow, Orléans, Pont à Mousson, Prague, San Diego, Wakulla Springs -- and Oaxaca City, Mexico, promises to be the very best yet. Beaches, Jungles, Mariachi Bands, Wondrous Cuisine, Historic Architecture, Fantastic Prehispanic Ruins, in the heart of southern Mexico's Sierra Madre del Sur! Nothing could be better!

The Local Organizing Committee is doing a wonderful job preparing the conference. With Antonio Lazcano at the helm, backed by his hard-working UNAM colleagues (G. Cocho, R. Navarro-González, A. Negrón-Mendoza, A. Becerra, L. Delaye, S. Ramos-Bernal, and S. I. Ramírez) and vocals and a regional Latin American Committee, we can all count on experiencing a rare treat when we arrive in Oaxaca.

The science will be superb! Our field is moving ahead in leaps and bounds. Problems that only a few years ago seemed all but unsolvable have now been put to rest. And with the almost unbelievable current upsurge of activity in astrobiology/exobiology, ISSOL is at the focus, the very center, of worldwide interest. ISSOL'02 will do no less than bring together the best workers in the world who will present their very latest findings. This meeting, above all others, will be a benchmark in the development of our science!

SUBJECTS TO BE ADDRESSED:

IMPORTANT DATES:

Intended for students and younger scientists; information can be obtained from ISSOL Treasurer David W. Deamer: deamer@hydrogen.ucsc.edu

Already it is time to begin planning for ISSOL'05. Because ISSOL'99 was held in San Diego, California, and because ISSOL'02 is to be convened in Oaxaca, Mexico, it is my personal hope that our next meeting -- ISSOL'05 -- will take place distant from the Americas (e.g., perhaps in Asia, or Europe, or Australia). Because of the high costs of travel, as we promote our field throughout the world it is wonderfully helpful to us all if the meetings are moved regularly from region to region so that all of our colleagues can more easily attend.

Now is the time to prepare proposals to host ISSOL'05, to be presented formally to the Executive Committee at the Oaxaca meeting. Please contact me for instructions about how to prepare a meeting proposal (Schopf@ess.ucla.edu). I will be pleased to help you in any way I can!

Manuscripts for OLEB

As the official scientific journal of ISSOL, Origins of Life and Evolution of the Biosphere represents the Society to the scientific world at large. It is important, therefore, both for the health of ISSOL as well as that of the field of origins of life in general, for members to support the journal by submitting their best work to it for publication. I am aware, of course,of the professional benefits to be gained by having one’s work published in renowned journals such as J. Am. Chem. Soc., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA, etc. Nevertheless, the scientific regard in which our field of research is held is, at least in part, dependent upon the quality of the work which the Society’s journal publishes. As a new academic year begins, therefore, please think first of OLEB as the appropriate place to publish your most important work.

Books

G. Horneck, Institut für Luft- und Raumfahrtmedizin des DLR, Köln
C. Baumstark-Khan, Institut für Luft- und Raumfahrtmedizin des DLR, Köln, (Eds.)

How did life originate in the Universe? How did it all start after the creation of matter and the formation of elements in the stars? What are the pathways from the first organic molecules in space to the evolution of complex forms on Earth and perhaps elsewhere? And how will it all end? The Universe itself sets the stage for the very interdisciplinary field of astrobiology that attempts to answer such questions, the central one being: What is the (cosmic) recipe for life? Currently there are only very few known elements in this vast mosaic. This book bridges a gap in the literature by bringing together leading specialists from different background who lecture their fields, with close relevance to astrobiology, providing tutorial accounts that lead all the way to the forefront of research. This book will thus be useful for students, lectures and researchers alike.

Contents: Organic Material in Space and Habitable Zones. – Water and Life. – Electromagnetic Fields, Radiation and Life. – Gravity and Life. – Forthcoming Space Missions Relevant for Astrobiology

2001. XV, 413 pp. 110 figs., 36 in colour, 25 tabs. Hardcover DM 99,90; 37,-; FF 403,-sFr 88,-; Lit. 118.060; as of Jan. 2002: Euro 49,95 ISBN 3-540-42101-7

Springer, Customer Service, Haberstr. 7, 69126 Heidelberg, Germany
Fax: ++49 – 6221 – 345 299 Email: orders@springer.de

All books of this series are being published by Kluwer (Dordrecht, The Netherlands).

1) Enigmatic Microorganisms and Life in Extreme Environments. J. Seckbach (ed.) ~ 700p. (1999). See content at: http://www.wkap.nl/bookcc.htm/0-7923-5492-3.

2) Journey to Diverse Microbial Worlds. J. Seckbach (ed.) 420 p. (2000) See content at: http://www.wkap.nl/bookcc.htm/0-7923-6020-6

3) The New Science of Astrobiology (author J. Chela-Flores) J. Seckbach (ed.) in press (2001).

4) The wonderful worlds of Symbioses. J. Seckbach (ed.) (to be submitted) 2001

5) Origins (origin of Life, first cells, eukaryogenesis and multiple cells) this volume is currently being organized.

In addition they have edited some volumes on Enigmatic and Extremophilic Algae.

1) Evolutionary Pathways and Enigmatic Algae, published by Kluwer. J. Seckbach (ed.) ~ 360 p. (1994).

2) Algae and Extreme Environments (The Proceeding of Trebon International Conference) J. Elster, J. Seckbach, W.F. Vencent and O. Lhotsky) Nova Hedwigia Beih, Berlin -stuttgart (2001).

For further information, Please contact Prof. Joseph Seckbach, at seckbach@huji.ac.il

The American biochemist Simon Black offers in this book an original way to approach the problem of origins of life. First he leads us to deepen our knowledge on proteins, nucleic acids and membranes with the help of detailed historical facts. The last part of the book is dedicated to a specific scenario bringing into play a primitive genetic code needful to explain to the first biological processes.

The introduction of each chapter consists in an analytic and clear description of the historical bases of biochemistry, especially the ones coming from the nineteenth century. In this way, actual knowledge on the building blocks of life is put back in his pristine context and seems to be more evident to grasp.

The author gets us to understand how emerged the discoveries of the typical features of the proteins : the relationship between their structure an their function (including the identification of amino-acids sequences), their three-dimensional structure and the role of enzymes, their role in immunology. With the help of the historical perspective set by the author, we travel in the fields of search for the origins of optical activity of the chiral molecules and the deep identity of the living systems.

The first steps to identify the nucleic acids DNA and RNA and the way to get details on their composition are described precisely. We see how the researchers succeeded in putting into a prominent position the role of DNA in heredity mechanisms and proteins synthesis. The author relates the main steps which have allowed a better understanding of the genetic code. He also deals with the function of ATP and the structure and function of membranes.

All of this historical and biochemical background leads to the question of the primitive construction of the first molecules able to replicate. Did the formation of amino-acids and proteins play a central role before nucleic acids replication ? Polypeptides chains could have represented the molecular skeleton to which bases groups, such as uracil, were linked by means of hydrogen bonds. This type of molecule could have preceded the actual genetic code.

This book includes many papers of authors from various disciplines (biochemistry, biology, mathematics, philosophy, history of science...). Pluridisciplinary topics, which make this book particularly attractive, leads us to see evolutionary problems, from origin to complexity of Life, with new viewpoints.

It gives an original approach on the science of biological evolution, including origins of life, by means of the confrontation between scientific, philosophical, mythological and sociological aspects.

The characteristics of the two atypical sciences " Biological evolution " and " Origins of life " are closely examined and through these two examples this study shows how the limits of science could be demarcated.

Such an analysis to get a different understanding of these sciences leads us to ask the following questions:

Where are the frontiers between science and mythology ? How can be built a theory such as the theory of Origins of life ? And how far could we go in the elaboration of concepts related to this scientific field ? What could be the part of prediction in Evolutionary theory ?

This work jointly proposes a sociological interpretation allowing to examine these questions, seen from all their sides, as a whole.

Exo/Astrobiology - the study of the origins, early evolution, distribution and destiny of life - is a multidisciplinary science. It encompasses the disciplines of chemistry, biology, palaeontology, geology, atmospheric physics, planetary physics and stellar physics. Most aspects of this research require substantial resources, in analytical or simulation laboratory facilities, ground instrumentation, spacecraft and staffing. There are several centres of excellence in exo/astrobiology or related fields of research in Europe and several nations have established national networks, but as yet, they are not coordinated to share expertise and facilities at the European level. Under such conditions, there was an obvious interest for Europe to create a European Exo/Astrobiology Network. A small team of European exo/astrobiologists convened a provisory Core Steering Group composed of representatives of twelve European countries. The Network has been officially formalized at the First European Workshop, co-organized by ESA and the Core Steering Group, which was held at ESRIN, the ESA Centre at Frascati (Roma), from 21 to 23 May 2001.

R. Amils (SP), C. Cockell (UK), C. Cosmovici (IT), L. Cruzeiro-Hansson (PT), D. Field (DK), A. Hjalmarson (SE), N. Holm (SE), G. Horneck (DE), G. von Kiedrowski (DE), J.M. Knudsen (DK), H. Lammer (AT), R. Paepe (BE), D. Prieur (FR), F. Raulin (FR), M. Rizzotti (IT), H. Stan-Lotter (AT), K. Stetter (DE).

During the Frascati Workshop, attended by 200 scientists, the European potential in the different aspects covered by Exo/Astrobiology was assessed: life in extreme environments, chemistry of the origins of life and extraterrestrial organic chemistry, search for life in the Solar System, exoplanets and extrasolar life. Both plenary, splinter and poster sessions generated lively discussions which cemented our community. The Proceedings of the Workshop are published by ESA as ESA SP-496. ESA also offered to host our Web Page as part of the ESA pilot Virtual Institute located at ESTEC, Noordwijk.

The flag flew at half-mast today at NASA’s Ames Research Center in honor of Dr. Harold P. (‘Chuck’) Klein, Mars scientist and the "father" of Astrobiology. He passed away Sunday July 15th at the age of 80 due to complications from cancer with little suffering and after having been visited by both family and friends the night before.

Klein was an unassuming, hard-working man and dedicated scientist whose exceptional career touched many of our lives. Chuck is best known in the scientific community for having served as Biology Team Leader for the Viking mission to Mars.

The first Viking lander touched down on the Chryse Plain of Mars 25 years ago today, July 20, 1976. The mission, which sought to answer age-old questions about life on Mars, disappointed some, yet provided tantalizing "evidence of interesting chemistry" and demonstrated what Klein called the "miracle" of safely landing a complex craft on a distant planet to perform such important experiments. It had been his responsibility to find the best compromise between the spacecraft engineers, who wanted to keep the spacecraft as lightweight and simple as possible to ensure that it would successfully arrive at and land on Mars, and the scientists, who were loath to exclude any of their experimental instruments from Viking and possibly diminish their chances of finding evidence of life. Eminent scientists associated with the Viking mission have stated that there would not have been a Viking mission at all without Klein’s intensive scientific and managerial initiative, wisdom, and creativity.

From January 1963, when he arrived at NASA’s Ames Research Center to become the first Chief of the nascent Exobiology Division, until 1984 when he retired after having served as Ames’ first Director of Life Sciences, Chuck played a seminal role in the creation and implementation of many programs in space and life sciences. He was responsible for the establishment or initiation of many programs at Ames or within NASA, including: NASA’s Exobiology Program (the foundation of the current NASA Astrobiology Program), NASA’s Gravitational Biology Program, Ames’ Biomedical Program, and the Space Shuttle biological flight experiments program, the SL-1 mission (NASA’s first dedicated life sciences space laboratory). His efforts to build these programs including overseeing the construction of a dedicated life science laboratory building and attracting a permanent staff of life and space scientists of international caliber as well as a host of visiting scientists.

Klein felt involvement in the international scientific community was vital and was an important figure in joint US/USSR scientific ventures at a time when communications between the two countries was very restricted. He was involved with activities on the Cosmos project from the very beginning. He recalled the conversations when the newly formed Joint Working Group for Space Biology and Medicine met for the first time in 1971. "Most of the discussion at the time centered around biomedical and life support issues. But I had some informal conversations with Gazenko and Genin about what they were investigating with lower organisms. I think the seeds for what was to become the Cosmos interaction were sowed at that time. If we had not gotten along so well then, there would have been nothing." In 1974, the Soviet Union invited the US to participate in the Cosmos program. "At first, we didn't know there would be a continuing series of Cosmos flights on which we could participate. We were just invited onto one flight. The Soviets probably wanted to see how things would go from their side. Since the first time worked out well and the results were interesting, they invited us onto the next flight two years later." The first US experiments on Cosmos, and the process to implement them, were both quite simple. "They were not anything like the later experiments. There were no announcements of opportunity, no big peer reviews. We just did them because the spacecraft was available, specimens were going to be available, and we saw a chance to get some work done."In testament to his being named to the Ames Hall of Fame in 2000, it was stated that "Throughout his career, [Chuck] was the primary force which established Ames' reputation as the key NASA institution for the study of astrobiology in all its various facets, including exobiology, gravitational biology, and biomedicine, (with the initiation of Space Shuttle experiments in these areas) .

More than any other individual, Harold P. Klein is the one who built the foundation upon which rests Ames' current leadership in astrobiology." Because of his vision and leadership, Ames has attained recognition as the key NASA center for many new programs in these areas as well as a national and international reputation for excellence in scientific research. In addition to his key role within NASA, Chuck contributed to the greater scientific community. He was an educator and served as a senior advisor and consultant on issues related to exobiology and Mars science within the international scientific community.

Before coming to Ames, he was for many years a Professor and Chair of the Dept. of Biology at Brandeis University in Massachusetts. During his years at Ames he was a frequent lecturer on exobiology and taught special courses at Stanford University, Santa Clara University, and San Jose State University; he also enjoyed presenting lectures on Mars to school and community groups. He freely gave interviews, answered letters and e-mail from school children and members of astronomy clubs about Mars. He was involved for most of his career with COSPAR (the Committee for Space Research) and ISSOL (the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life), presenting and publishing papers, serving on top scientific advisory committees, peer review boards, and editorial boards.

Never one to rest upon his laurels, Chuck had remained active in his scientific pursuits after his retirement from the civil service, as a Principal Investigator with the SETI Institute. He continued his scientific collaborations with Ames’ Space Science Division personnel until just weeks before his death. His most recent research interests focussed on selection of sites for collection of and subsequent analysis of returned Mars samples and on development of planetary protection guidelines for Mars exploration. Klein is survived by his daughter, Juidi Alongi, granddaughters Sara and Gina Alongi, grandsons Joshua and Simon Troll, and great-grandson Kyle Troll. He was respected for his intelligence, dedication, and good sense; loved for his playfulness, humor, and generosity; valued for his steadfast friendship and wisdom. He was a good cook and made very good martinis. We shall miss him dearly.Condolences can be directed to his daughter Juidi Alongi at alongiclan@aol.com. A memorial service is being planned for mid-August.

Meetings Annoucements

10^th ISSOL Meeting
13^th International Conference on the Origin of Life

Other conferences

This is to let you know that the next Bioastronomy conference will be held on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, July 8-12, 2002.

Although the conference is still more than a year away, a web site is now available with much advance information, including a preliminary science program. A science education workshop will also be run in parallel with the Bioastronomy.

If you are thinking of coming please let me know so I can ensure you get the first call for papers as soon as it is available.

Please feel free to pass this e-mail onto others whom you think might be interested in the conference.

The Call for Papers/Announcement appeared in the August 2001 issue of the COSPAR Information Bulletin. All Assembly information, including preliminary program, registration and accommodation forms, will be included in this issue. Note that no second announcement will be sent although all information, as well as the updated program, will be posted as it becomes available and will be accessible by clicking on the underlined words above. For more detailed information about certain items including hotels, access, etc. please visit the site of the Local Organizing Committee

It is suggested that life originated in a three-step process referred to as the jigsaw model. RNA, proteins, or similar organic molecules polymerized in a dehydrated carbon-rich environment, on surfaces in a carbon-rich

environment, or in another environment where polymerization occurs. These polymers subsequently entered an aqueous environment where they folded into compact structures. It is argued that the folding of randomly generated polymers such as RNA or proteins in water tends to partition the folded polymer into domains with hydrophobic cores and matching shapes to minimize energy. In the aqueous environment, hydrolysis or other reactions fragmented the compact structures into two or more matching molecules, occasionally producing simple living systems, also known as autocatalytic sets of molecules. It is argued that the hydrolysis of folded polymers such as RNA or proteins is not random. The hydrophobic cores of the domains are rarely

bisected due to the energy requirements in water. Hydrolysis preferentially fragments the folded polymers into pieces with complementary structures and chemical affinities. Thus the probability of producing a system of matched, interacting molecules in prebiotic chemistry is much higher than usually estimated. Environments where this process may occur are identified. For example, the jigsaw model suggests life may have originated at a seep of carbonaceous fluids beneath the ocean. The polymerization occurred beneath the sea floor. The folding and fragmentation occurred in the ocean. The implications of this hypothesis for seeking life or prebiotic chemistry in the Solar System are explored.

The file is in Adobe Acrobat PDF 4.0 file format. A free PDF viewer is available from the Adobe web site http://www.adobe.com/

IN THIS ISSUE

A few words from Mohindra S. Chadha

When contemplating a picture of Earth, taken from the Voyager spacecraft Carl Sagan said:

Content

An Invitation from ISSOL's President

SUBJECTS TO BE ADDRESSED:

IMPORTANT DATES:

Manuscripts for OLEB

Books

Book Reviews

European Exo/Astrobiology Network

In Memoriam

Meetings Annoucements

10^th ISSOL Meeting
13^th International Conference on the Origin of Life

More here

Other conferences

Scientific Forum / New publications

IN THIS ISSUE

A few words from Mohindra S. Chadha

When contemplating a picture of Earth, taken from the Voyager spacecraft Carl Sagan said:

Content

An Invitation from ISSOL's President

SUBJECTS TO BE ADDRESSED:

IMPORTANT DATES:

Manuscripts for OLEB

Books

Book Reviews

European Exo/Astrobiology Network

In Memoriam

Meetings Annoucements

10th ISSOL Meeting 13th International Conference on the Origin of Life

More here

Other conferences

Scientific Forum / New publications

10^th ISSOL Meeting
13^th International Conference on the Origin of Life