Spring 2001 Vol. 28, Nos. 1 & 2

THE NEWSLETTER OF

THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF

THE ORIGIN OF LIFE

Francois Raulin, Editor - David Deamer, Associate Editor
Web site design, Nick Deamer

Last year, September 11-16, an international conference ÇAlgae and extreme environments ö ecology and physiologyÈ was held at Trebon, Czech Republic. At the conference, 28 lectures and 46 posters were presented. Altogether 75 persons from 17 nations participated in the conference (Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, UK, Ukraine, and USA). At present the conference proceedings edited by Josef Elster, Joseph Seckbach, Warwick F. Vincent and Oldrich Lhotsky are under preparation. The book will consists about 38 original papers (600-700 pages) opened by two inaugurals papers by Josef Svoboda, University of Toronto, Canada and Aharon Oren et Joseph Seckbach, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel is divided into the following sessions discussed at the conference.

- Algae in extreme temperatures,

- Algae in habitats with reduced and extreme radiation,

- Algae in soils,

- Algae under desiccation and ionic stress, and finally

- Physiological and molecular responses of algae to extreme conditions.

The book will be published under the German Publishing House (Schweizerbart, Stuttgart) auspices during the second half of year. The purpose of the book is ambitious task to map the present state of research concerning of prokaryotic and eukaryotic oxyphototrophic microorganisms living in extreme environments. However, one of the major objectives of this book, introduced here, would be the expressed effort to bring the attention of researchers, teachers, students or open-minded readers, the prevalence of oxyphototrophic microorganisms as extremophiles.

Trebon, March 6, 2001

Josef Elster

jelster@tbn.cz

Sparks of Life Darwinism and the Victorian Debates over Spontaneous Generation

by James E. Strick

Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 2000. 298 pp. $45, £30.95. ISBN 0-674-00292

Review available in Science : MICROBIOLOGY: Life from Smut A review by Lynn Margulis

Edited by Wlodzimierz Lugowski (Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences) and Koichiro Matsuno (Dept. Of BioEngineering, Nagaoka University of Technology)

Wroclaw 1998 Arboretum

ISBN 83-86308-27-3

Paperback. 320 pp. $ 20.00

The scope of the volume are the ontological and methodological problems of contemporary life sciences viewed from the non-positivist perspective, with special attention to the philosophical foundations of contemporary theories of prebiological and biological evolution.

Among the authors are philosophers and eminent scientists from several continents.

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This book can be ordered directly from the publishers:

Oficyna Wydawnicza Arboretum - Arboretum Publishing House

Swietokrzyska 34/16, 50-327 Wroclaw, Poland

Sales department: phone: (48-601) 79 51 34

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Part I. Biology Between Mythology And Philosophy

Wlodzimierz Lugowski (Warsaw), In venenoso Dracone summam medicinam inesse, or on the philosophy and mythology of biology

Stanley N. Salthe (New York), Science as the basis of a new mythological understanding

Gerhard Vollmer (Braunschweig), The limits of biology

Teoman Durali (Istanbul), Philosophy-Science from the biotic standpoint

Dail W. Mullins (Birmingham), The mythology of Western scientific materialism and the rise of the evolutionary epic

Part II. The Philosophy Of Life's Origin

Harmke Kamminga (Cambridge), Theory construction in biology. The case of the origin of life

Koichiro Matsuno (Nagaoka), The uncertainty principle and the origins of life: an odd couple

Gail R. Fleischaker (Boston), The myth of the putative 'first organism'

Anthonie W.J. Muller (Amsterdam/Edinburgh), Thermosynthesis: where biology meets thermodynamics

Stanley N. Salthe (New York), Formal considerations on the origin of life

Part III. Evolutionary Theory And Metatheory

Franz R. Krueger (Darmstadt), Between metaphysics and meta-biology. The concept of information in evolutionary metatheory

Pawel Grieb (Warsaw), Evolution as a means of existence of living matter

Jorge Gonzalez-Gonzalez (Mexico), Transformed and altered processes. Foundations for a process-based theory of biological knowledge

Juan Manuel Torres (Bahia Blanca), On prediction in biology and evolutionary theory

Krzysztof Lastowski (Poznan), On the origins of sociobiology

Part IV. Understanding Complexity

Yukio Gunji, Masao Migita, Shin'ichi Toyoda (Kobe), From state- to measurement-oriented theory. Degeneracy of a proper noun

Sahotra Sarkar (Montreal), Reductionism and functional explanation in molecular biology

Gertrudis Van De Vijver (Gent), Internalism versus externalism: a matter of choice?

Jose C. B. Tiago De Oliveira (Lisbon), The geometries of three ancient kingdoms

Wlodzimierz Klonowski (Warsaw/Halifax), Omnis felicitas exfelicitate: physicalistic concept of happiness

History of ISSOL in Pictures

Dr. Mohindra S Chadha of India has been associated with ISSOL from its very inception. He was present at the 3^rd International conference on the Origin of Life held at Pont-a-Mousson in France in 1970 and has attended all (except 2) ISSOL meetings held so far. He has also participant in all the 6 Conferences on Chemical Evolution held at Trieste, Italy since 1992. He is currently preparing a pictorial history of ICOLs , ISSOL meetings and the Trieste Conferences.

At the last conference entitled First Steps In The Origin Of Life In The Unverse held in Trieste in Sept 2000 he made the following presentation:

This 96 slide pictorial presentation has been put on a Website. The website address is as follows:

It is intended to update this for the ISSOL- 2002 meeting to be held in Mexico and possibly make a CD-ROM for the benefit of the ISSOL members. Any input of pictures from fellow members will be greatly appreciated. Mohindra Chadha is planning to spend the month of September ,2001at CSEOL,UCLA,U.S.A. as a guest of Prof. J. William Schopf to pursue this effort.

Any pictures with captions related to ISSOL can be sent to Mohindra Chadha at his postal address:

C-6, Beach House Apts,

Gandhigram Road ,

Juhu, Mumbai-400 049

I N D I A

The same could be intimated to him by e-mail at the following e-mail address:

chadhams@mail.com

In Memoriam

I first met Sidney Fox, who helped to make the origin of life a modern field of science, during a post-doc stay at the Institute of Molecular and cellular Evolution oat the University of Miami from 1978 to 1981. I continued to collaborate with him over the next twenty some years until his death in 1998.

He was not an easy man to get to know really deep down inside. He often made me laugh because he had a great sense of humor. He often inspired me with this pioneering scientific spirit, and that is one of the reasons why I do research on thermal proteins in continuation of his work. But he also frequently exasperated me and there were many times when a telephone conversation with him would leave me with a splitting headache.

Sidney was very much a human being, with the hopes and dreams, but also the imperfections that all of us have. Sid thought toward the end of his life that he had really solved the origin-of-life problem, but I think that his realization of the approaching end of his life brought an urgency in him to think in terms of closure, that the problem he had struggled with all his life, i.e. the Origin, he had finally vanquished.

He often did not give enough credit to other scientists with different points of view, and the result was that he became somewhat isolated. He could have been a much better diplomat, more inclusive and more easy going.

However, I really believe that for all of the rough edges to his personality, Sid was a great man. He cared deeply about science and solved some of its most important problems. He deeply cared for his companions in life, he empathized with their dreams, plans, and visions, and for those reasons, he was loved by those few persons who got to know him intimately.

Peter R. Bahn

Bahn Biotechnology Co.

RR2 Box 239A

Mt. Vernon, Illinois

USA

Dr. Shneior Lifson, a theoretician in biophysics and the origin of life, died of cancer on January 21, 2001, in Rehovot, at the age of 87.

Shneior studied physics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and completed his carried out his Ph.D. degree under the supervision of the late Aharon Katchalsky-Katzir. He started his scientific career at the Weizmann Institute in 1954, where he was one of the founders of this institute, and later served as its scientific director for four years. In his early work he pioneered the theoretical study of solutions of biopolymers and developed the methods for calculating interactions between these large molecules, including an elegant formulation of helix-coil transition in proteins, thus establishing the basis for the developing field of molecular computations. He was involved in many public and scientific activities and was awarded by a variety of prizes, including Israel Prize in Life Sciences, The Weizmann Prize in Science and membership in the Israel National Academy of Science.

During the last twenty years Shneior became deeply involved in the study of the origin of life, focusing on Darwinian evolution, autocatalysis and teleonomy. His involvement in the study of the origin of life include critical examination of some of the basic assumptions and equations of various theoretical works. His contribution, however, culminated in the development of a general theoretical approach to the transition from inanimate to animate matter ("On the crucial stages in the origin of animate matter". J. Mol. Evol. (1997), 44:1-8) and a paper coauthored with his wife, Hanna, where they developed a model of prebiotic replication (J. Theor. Biol. (1999), 199: 425-433). His ideas provide a broad theoretical basis for the origin of life process. According to Shneiorâs approach natural selection preceded life, namely, its initiation is in inanimate matter. Thus, natural selection is the origin of the first living matter, as well as purposefulness-like behavior (teleonomy) and complexity, which characterizes life. Shneior continued his creative work until few days before passing away. He inspired all his colleagues with his enthusiasm and deep understanding of the problems involved in the study of the origin of life. During recent years he served as a central figure in the monthly meetings of the so-called "Rehovot Origin-of-Life", which took place in his office, where dedicated origin-of-lifers from all over Israel used to convene and discuss the most fundamental problems of prebiotic evolution. Both Israel scientific community and the Israel Society for the Study of the Origin of Life have lost a great friend and colleague.

Noam Lahav and Doron Lancet

The Hebrew University

Weizmann Institute of Jerusalem,

Israel Rehovot, Israel

Dolores Beasley

Headquarters, Washington, DC November 24, 2000

(Phone: 202/358-1753)

Mark Hess

Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD

(Phone: 301/286-8982)

Michael Finneran

Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA

(Phone: 757/864-6110)

RELEASE: 00-186

NASA Scientist Dr. Gerald Soffen, who led the Viking science team that performed the first experiments on the surface of the planet Mars and a guiding force in NASA's effort to search for life in the Universe, died Nov. 22 at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, DC. He was 74.

A close advisor to NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin, Soffen helped shape NASA's Astrobiology program, the study of life in the Universe. Soffen also was instrumental in the establishment of the NASA Astrobiology Institute, a virtual organization comprising NASA Centers, universities and research organizations dedicated to studying the origin, evolution, distribution and destiny of life in the universe.

"Dr. Soffen brought a vision and passion to space exploration that was remarkable," said Goldin. "His pioneering work on the Viking Missions paved the way for the creation of our astrobiology effort. Gerry's lasting legacy to us is he helped usher in a new era of discovery that will bring a new understanding of fundamental life processes on Earth and throughout our Universe."

Soffen served as project scientist of the Viking Mars Project while at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA. Viking 1 landed on Mars on July 20, 1976, with Viking 2 following less than two months later.

Soffen joined NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in 1983 where he helped to establish the Mission to Planet Earth program and served as the Project Scientist for the Earth Observing system at its beginning. Soffen formed the University Programs Office at Goddard in 1990, and for the past 10 years he directed activities and programs designed to maintain and broaden the Center's interaction with the university community.

"Science and students were his loves," said Goddard Space Flight Center Director Al Diaz. "He was one of the finest scientists I had had the pleasure to work with. He was a brilliant researcher, but what made Gerry really special was his lifelong passion for sharing his extraordinary knowledge with young people. The Agency and the nation will continue to benefit enormously from the talented young people he has brought into the scientific community."

In 1993, Soffen created the NASA Academy, a unique summer institute of higher learning whose goal is to help guide future leaders of the space program. Introduced at Goddard, the NASA Academy is also active at the Ames Research Center, CA, and the Dryden Flight Research Center, CA.

Soffen was planning the 25th anniversary celebration of the Viking landings in the last few months of his life, said A.G. Price, a former NASA Langley employee who worked with Soffen on the Mars mission and has remained in contact over the years.

"But even then his emphasis was not on the past but on doing something to inspire and excite the youth and the next generation of young leaders and scientists to carry on his dream," Price said. "He cared immensely about others and never tired of pursuing his passion, the search for extraterrestrial life and the understanding of our universe."

"Gerry was a good personal friend and a scientist who had a profound dedication to Astrobiology and space science in general, said Dr. Ed Weiler, Associate Administrator for the Office of Space Science. "He has provided distinguished service to the Office of Space Science, to NASA and to the public. Gerry spent a lot of time working with young students and I know he enjoyed that enormously. We will all miss Gerry a great deal."

Soffen worked for NASA for over 30 years. He began his NASA career at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory where he managed biological instrument development at the Pasadena-based facility. He also was the Principal Investigator for the proposed Mars Microscope.

He joined NASA's Langley Research Center as the Project Scientist for the Viking Missions. Twin robot landers launched in 1975, arrived at the Red Planet a year later and made successful touchdowns on the planet's surface marking the first successful missions to perform unmanned experiments on the surface of the planet. Dr. Soffen was responsible for all of the scientific investigations, directing the activities of more than 70 scientists through the United States. Later at Langley, Soffen served as the Chief Environmental Scientist, developing theoretical models, laboratory experiments, ground-based measurements and remote sensing by satellite.

In 1978 he was named the Director of Life Sciences at NASA Headquarters where he directed programs to ensure the medical and biological well being of Space Shuttle astronauts, as well as overseeing the Agency's biomedical, space biology and exobiology programs. At Goddard, Soffen helped to establish the Mission to Planet Earth program, an unprecedented effort to understand the total Earth system and the effects of natural and human- induced changes on the global environment. He was the first Project Scientist for the Earth Observing System, the centerpiece of the Earth Science program, which has begun to provide a long-term data set of key parameters needed to understand global climate change.

Soffen was born in Cleveland, Ohio on Feb. 7, 1926. He received his Ph.D. in Biology in 1961 from Princeton University. He earned his master's of science degree from the University of Southern California and bachelor's degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.

He is survived by his wife, Kazuko, and a sister, Nancy Guy, who lives in California.

Soffen will be buried in Hampton, VA. A grave-side ceremony will be held Sunday, Nov. 26 at 1:00 p.m. at the Park Lawn Memorial Park in Hampton. Immediately after the service, a reception will be held at the Virginia Air and Space Center located at Settler's Landing Road in Hampton.

Meetings

PROGRAM

08:30 - 09:00 Morning coffee

Morning Session Chair: Gidi Fleminger (TA)

09:00 - 09:10 Noam Lahav (HU)
Opening

09:10 - 09:50 Edward Trifonov (WI)

"The size of the earliest minigenes"

09:50-10:30 Naomi Dar (HU)

"Limits and obstacles in the definition of terrestrial and extraterrestrial life"

10:30-10:50 Coffee break

10:50-11:30 Barak Shenhav and Doron Lancet (WI)

"The molecular basis for compositional inheritance"

11:30-12:10 Guy Sella (WI)

"A theory for the evolution of the standard genetic code through code-message co-evolution"

12:10-12:50 Kobi Benenson and Udi Shapiro (WI)

"A spontaneous programable molecular computing device"

12:50-13:50 Lunch break

Afternoon Session Chair: Naomi Dar (HU)

13:50-14:30 Igor Berezovski and Edward Trifonov (WI)

"Loop stage of early protein evolution"

14:30:15:10 Daniel Segre and Doron Lancet (WI)

"Composing Life"

15:10-15:30 Noam Lahav (HU)

"Comprehensive origin of life theories"

15:30-16:30 Moderator: Avshalom Elitzur (BI)

Open General Discussion

(Probability, comprehensive theories, formation of metabolic cycles and so on).

July 12-13, 2001, Macquarie University, Sydney

This two day workshop will, for the first time in Australia, bring together researchers across various disciplines relevant to the origin of life and the search for extraterrestrial life.The workshop web site is at http://www.aao.gov.au/local/www/jab/workshop.html This includes further information and a form for registration and submission of abstracts. The deadline for registration is 18 May 2001.

Organising Committee

Jeremy Bailey Anglo-Australian Observatory

Ragbir Bhathal University of Western Sydney

Maria Hunt University of New South Wales

Malcolm Walter Macquarie University

Fred Watson Anglo-Australian Observatory

For more information contact:

Jeremy Bailey jab@aaoepp.aao.gov.au

Phone: 61-2-9372-4823

Fax: 61-2-9372-4880

see :

Please follow the above link for information, in particular on the session "T1 Archean Earth and contemporary life: the transition from an anaerobic to an aerobic marine ecosystem"

organized by Toby Tyrrel and Janet Siefert.

Its aim was to investigate this unique period in Earth's history by fostering interdiscplinary dialogue and new research between biologists, physical scientists and oceanographers.

along with another session "Role of Hydrothermal Systems in Biospheric Evolution" being sponsored by the NASA Astrobiology Institute.

For additional information, contact :

Janet Siefert, Ph.D. Phone:713-348-3891
Rice University FAX: 713-348-5476
Dept. of Statistics MS 138
P.O. Box 1892
Houston, Texas 77251-1892
URL: www.stat.rice.edu/~mathbio/siefert.htm

The multidisciplinary area of Exo/Astrobiology has recently experienced a tremendous surge of interest within the wide scientific community involving both space and non-space disciplines. This includes such diverse fields as the chemical origin of life on Earth, the persistence of life in extreme conditions, interplanetary transport mechanisms and search for life strategies in the Solar System and beyond.

The European Exobiology Network is an association of European scientists active in this field and dedicated to bringing together and strengthening European scientific and intellectual resources to ensure a leading role for Europe in this field.

Since the 1980âs the ESA microgravity life sciences activities have involved exobiology research concentrated on the effects of low Earth space conditions such as solar and cosmic radiation and low gravity on organic and life forms. The programme intends to extend these activities to search for life strategies in the Solar System.

Recently the activities of the ESA Space Science programme have been extended to include exo/astrobiology as a cross-fertilised discipline which can benefit from a number of ESA missions such as Huygens-Cassini, Mars Express, Rosetta, Eddington and IRSI-Darwin.

Jointly these two programmes aim to work together to promote an integrated and coordinated European approach in order to optimise the use of space-related resources and ensure a lead role for European Science in this important, emerging field.

This is the first of an intended series of workshops aimed at bringing together European scientists to review the status of the field and develop future plans and perspectives.

Based on interactive dynamic discussions, the workshop aims to:

• identify the European potential in Exo/Astrobiology
• foster European cooperation through joint projects in Exo/Astrobiolgy
• strengthen the European Network in Exo/Astrobiology
• encourage young scientists to participate in exo/astrobiological research in Europe
• promote a constructive research interface between exobiological expertise in Europe and the rest of the World for the benefit of the discipline and the planet
• develop a perspective for longer term Exobiology research, especially in relation to human missions to Mars

• Initial conditions and environment for the emergence of Life on Earth (evolution of planets and their satellites, atmosphere and hydrosphere, conditions necessary for life)
• Chemistry of the origin of life on Earth (ingredients, extraterrestrial organic chemistry, theories of the origin of life, prebiotic chemical evolution, early life, last common ancestor)
• Life in the extremes and terrestrial analogues for extraterrestrial habitats. Signatures of microbial life
• Prospects for life beyond the Earth (planets/moons of the Solar System, extrasolar planets, extra solar life)
• Strategy for search of life with emphasis on Çin situÈ analysis vs sample return, respective roles of humans and robots
• Societal aspects

Sponsors: European Exobiology Network

European Space Agency

Organizing Committee:

André BRACK (chairman) France

Paul CLANCY ESA

Marcello CORADINI ESA

Malcolm FRIDLUND ESA

Marc HEPPENER ESA

Beda HOFMANN Switzerland

Gerda HORNECK Germany

Juan PEREZ-MERCADER Spain

David WYNN-WILLIAMS United Kingdom

Ricardo AMILS Spain

Herrick BALTSCHEFFSKY Sweden

Clas BLOMBERG Sweden

Christiano COSMOVICI Italy

Don COWAN United Kingdom

Pascale EHRENFREUND The Netherlands

David FIELD Denmark

Nils HOLM Sweden

Jean-Luc JOSSET Switzerland

Günter KIEDROWSKI Germany

Helmut LAMMER Austria

Gian-Gabriele ORI Italy

Roland PAEPE Belgium

Alan PENNY United Kingdom

François RAULIN France

Didier SCHMITT ESA

Alan SCHWARTZ The Netherlands

Gerhard SCHWEHM ESA

Helga STAN-LOTTER Austria

Karl STETTER Germany

Sergio VOLONTEâ ESA

Ray WOLSTENCROFT United Kingdom

ESAâs European Space Research Institute, known as ESRIN, is based in Frascati, a small historic town 20 km South of Rome (see: http ://www.hurricane.it/castelliromani/frascati).

For additional information : http://www.estec.esa.nl/conferences/01C17/

Mail: ESA/ESRIN, Via Galileo Galilei, Casella Postale 64, 00044 Frascati (RM), Italy

National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 10 Center Drive, Bldg 10, Jack Masur Auditorium. Bethesda, MD.

Registration open to all interested

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The NASA Astrobiology Institute and the National Institutes of Health share the common goal of understanding the fundamental processes of living systems - including such areas as the origin and evolution of microbial populations, the mechanisms of adaptation to stressful environments, and the development of new technology to advance these and other areas of research. The perspectives of these institutions differ dramatically, but when combined generate an exciting forum for the development of novel ideas and directions for future research and collaboration.

To this end, the NAI and the NIH are holding a joint symposium to initiate a dialog at the scientist-to-scientist level which it is expected will lead to new collaborative research. Areas selected for initial consideration at this symposium are:

* Biofilms

* Oxidative damage/Biological forms of iron

* Extremophiles.

Future interactions are certain to touch on areas ranging from remote sensing to the role of water in life.

All oral presentations have been confirmed. If you would like to contribute a poster, please fill out the Abstract Submission Form located at the symposium website:

The deadline for poster abstract submission is Friday March 9, 2001

Note that the NAI 2001 General meeting is April 10-12, also in Washington D.C. If you are a member of the NAI and are submitting an abstract for the General Meeting you may want to consider presenting
your work at both forums.

Registration is free, and is not mandatory. However, if you expect to attend the symposium please register at the website address above as it will help greatly in organizing the event. Additional information on the meeting can also be found at the symposium website.

We invite you to attend this new initiative by the NAI and the NIH, which promises an exciting day of presentations and opportunities for scientific exchange.

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Dr. Edward M. Goolish

Science Projects Manager

NASA Astrobiology Institute

NASA Ames Research Center

University of Washington Astrobiology Conference

III. THE ORIGIN OF LIFE

IV. ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF CELLS AND COMMUNITIES

V. LATER EVOLUTION

VI. POTENTIALLY HABITABLE PLANETS AND MOONS

VII. SEARCHING FOR EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE

VIII. SUMMARY (C. Chyba)

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CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

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EXPENSES

- suites are $90/night plus tax and can sleep up to 3 persons (price is independent of how many persons) - each has living area, full kitchen, fireplace; most participants will stay three nights, but arrangements can be made for as many nights as desired; spouses and families are welcome

- campgrounds are available within ten miles and require a car

- meals are catered and will cost about $90 per person

- full registration (which includes a copy of the book) will be in the range of $125-175; graduate students will have a reduced rate of $50-$100; exact fees to be announced in May

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Summer Institute in Astrobiology

In addition, the UW Center for Astrobiology and Early Evolution will run a concurrent Summer Institute in Astrobiology on the UW campus in Seattle for the 3 weeks of Mon. 30 July through Fri. 17 August. On the form below let us know if you are interested in "taking up residence" for any interval during this period and interacting with the various members of the UW Astrobiology community and with other Summer Institute participants. If we can accept you as a participant, we will find you a desk and computer, etc. There will be a series of seminars, but otherwise the format will be very informal. Unfortunately we cannot cover any travel or per diem expenses associated with the Summer Institute.

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Further information

UW Astrobiology Program:

FORM TO RETURN - Crystal Mt. Conference

Please detach and return this form via E-mail before 15 April to Linda Schieber, Conference Coordinator (lindas@astro.washington.edu - 206-543-9541); this form does not commit you to anything. A second announcement with final details and the conference registration form will be sent in mid-May.

Personal Information

_________ Year of Ph.D. (past or future!)

Name:

Astrobiology research interests:

EGS - Nice, France, March 26-30

31srt Advanced Course on Brown Dwarfs and Planets, Saas Fee, CH, April 2-7

GeoExtreme : geology and exobiology of extreme environments on Erath and in the Solar System, Tremiti Islands, Italy, May 6-10

LâExobiologie , aspects historiques et epistemologiques, Paris, France, May 15

1rst Eddington Workshop, Cordoue, Spain, June 18-21

Evolving sun and its influence on planetary environments, Granada, Sapin, IAA, June 18-21

Instrumentation, methods, misisons for Astrobiology IV (AM114), San Diego, USA, July 29 -August 3

Exobioâ01, les traces du vivant et lâOrigine de la vie, Region PACA, France, September 20-30

Perspectives in Astrobiology, Chania, Crete, Greece, September 29 - October 10,

Victor A. Gusev

Dear colleagues!

Let me ask your such a question: In what cases we donât keep mind an obvious nature phenomenon? There is answer of cause:

In the first place when there is an ordinary and secondly when there is usually outside users field of our knowledge. For example, each of us came under a summer storm with lightning. From the one hand this phenomenon is an ordinary because its happened every spring and summer, but otherwise more of us have a dim idea that lightning is concentrate extreme manifestation of Earthâs electromagnetic field. We are living within the huge electromagnetic ocean so as deep-sea animals that are living within the Water Ocean.

More of us doesnât now the voltage across the our nose tip and sole so as in home electric set i.e. approximately 200 volts. But you will donât afraid. It is no danger for us. There is quite the reverse. Iâll hope to prove in my article that electromagnetic field is a most important component for origin of life on the Earth.

In a literal sense, we take a bath into the electromagnetic ocean. All microorganisms at all times lived and multiplied in the water are immersed in Wold electromagnetic ocean. So have been said by ancient sage: ÇNatura abhorrer vacuumÈ, as its difficult to image that living systems didnât use this source of energy. Today certainly is known that sunlight energy is necessary for self-reproduction of phototrophs. Chemotrophs are used chemical energy of organic or inorganic origin. And what will happen with these microorganisms to place them in the absolutely poor medium i.e. is empty from any one pointed source of energy?

The seemingly evident answer will be ö there are died out. But evident is not always true. Over a period of years my colleagues and I are investigated startling phenomenon of long-time survival rate of heterotroph microorganisms E.coli and its multiplication in absolutely poor distilled water.

Essentially we unpublished our date until 1998 [1] year before have solved two principal problems:

At now these problems have been solved. It is impossible to give a complete of dramatic history of this search for reasons of time. Let me entering into discussion of our results.

Well. A typical curves of increase of viable E.coli cells number in distilled water at 37° C is presented in Fig.1. The cells were incubated in the water, which was treated in the following way: twice repeated distillation in glass distillation apparatus, oxidation of residual organic substratum by strong inorganic acidifier during some days, and additional twice-repeated distillation. Repeated re-seeding of populations grown to stationary state in new portions of water has shown that the concentration (2-5)´ 10⁶ cells per ml is achieved in every re-seeding.

The final concentration of the cells is achieved for 1-3 days as a rule and thereafter quasistationary variations of viable cells number near stationary concentration ~ 10⁶ per ml are observed. A growth curve of E.coli cells number in distillate water is in the same fashion that in complete medium.

The only difference between them is final concentration. In distillate water its no depending of the temperature incubation, the water cleaning degree and even species of microorganism. In fact this is no biological, but a physical constant. In order to clear up a physical sense of this constant, we have made the next experiment. On cells incubation into base metal multilayer chamber with walls thickness 4 cm from eight population only one has survived and grown to stationary state. On the contrary in control experiment, when 8 populations were incubated into ordinary thermostat 6 populations have grown to stationary state. Thats why we can say that alive systems can take energy from environment for multiplication without photosynthetic way and oxidation of chemical substrata. Experimental results obtained at optional isolation of the cells into chamber indicate that electromagnetic field takes part in utilization of free energy from environment by cells.

This proton frequency at the neutral pH corresponds to 400 MHz. In such manner, in all type spectrum of external electromagnetic wave only take place oscillations proton which corresponding to resonant frequency at this pH.

Now we have to construction of physical and mathematical models of this phenomenon. Hydrogen is most light and moving ion in the water. The equation of its motion under the plane electromagnetic waves by strength Å_î and circle frequency ù is:

where are variables x and t ö coordinate and time respectively, and other parameters: a=qE_o/må, m ö proton mass, å ö dielectric constant, i ö imaginary unit, coefficient p is a characteristic of viscous of medium. The stationery solve of this equation if its frequency corresponding to resonance frequency of plasma proton is:

The proton must be having energy W_k=qö in this state for what to insert into cell, where ö is transmembran potential. On rearrangement, this condition can be written as: