THE ORIGIN OF LIFE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3114, 19 November 1913, Page 6

THE ORIGIN OF LIFE.

“FIRST ORGANIC STEP.” SCIENTISTS IN CONFERENCE. (From Odb Own Correspondent.) LONDON, September 20. A discussion of the origin of life took place at the meeting of the British Association at Birmingham, when Professor B. Moore (Liverpool) gave the result of experiments carried out in conjunction with Mr Arthur Webster. The title of the paper, which was accompanied by a demonstration, was “ Synthesis of Organic Matter by Colloids in Presence of Sunlight, Considered in Relation to the Origin of Life.” Professor Moore said there were many chemists, and biologists also, who regarded the problem of the origin of life a* useless to inquire into. They thought it was insoluble, and one which might be left to psychologists.—(Laughter.) It seemed to him that by such an attitude they lost a great deal, because they agreed to bo ignorant on one of the most important problems of biology. He had for some time regarded that purely as an experimental problem, and he believed he would be able to demonstrate a step which connected the inorganic creation with the organic, and give them something more of that continuity about which the president spoke in his opening address. It would be necessary for him, in tracing the continuity, to begin very early, and pass into a rather misty region. In case his audience might take wings, perhaps he had better say he was going to remain with them on this planet, and would not carry his continuity into the spirit worlds. —(Laughter.) He would point out that it was an exceedingly practical pmi. lem. It was in the attempt to solve the problem and origin of life that the whole work of Pasteur and Lister arose.

As a result of 18 months’ experimental work they had obtained evidence of the first organic step in the evolution* When dilute solutions of colloidal ferric hydrovide or the corresponding uranium compound were exposed to strong sunlight or the light of the mercury arc there were synthesised the same organic compounds which were at present formed at the first Stage in the process of the organic synthesis by a green plant—viz., formaldehyde and formic acid. If they considered the plant exposed to the proper conditions of temperature and sunlight, the chain of events could be followed, which not only could but must occur. At first, as the planet cooled down only elements would be present; at a lower temperature binary compounds formed; next simple crystalloidal salts arose. Then by the union of single molecules into groups of 50 or 60, colloidal aggregates appeared. As the latter increased in complexity they also became more delicately balanced in structure, and were easily destroyed by sudden changes of environment, but, within certain limits, were peculiarly sensitive to energy changes, and could take up energy in one form aud transform it into another. That was the stage at which they took the matter up. In their work the labile colloids took up water and carbon dioxide, and utilising the sunlight streaming upon the plant produced the supplest organic structures. Then the latter, reacting with themselves and with nitrogenous, inorganic matter, continued the process, and built up more and more complex and more labile organic colloids, until, finally, these acquired the property of transforming light energy into chemical energy. From the first step in the organic synthesis advance must be made to study how more and more complex organic compounds could be evolved, but it was clear that, by the continued action of the ‘ law of molecular complexity ’ life must originate, that forms of life were now originating, that the origin of life was no fortuitous accident, and that the same processes were guiding life onwards to a higher evolution in a progressive creation.

Sir Oliver Lodge, who opened the discussion, said he must be understood as ex-' pressing no biological opinion as to the importance of anything demonstrated there. The synthesis of practical compounds forming inorganic material was, of course, nothing new. It was new in his youth as far as novelty was concerned. He gathered that it was the formation of formic acid by the aid of the sunlight. “ What I should like to say is that I very much agree as to the fact that new possibilities enter the matter with the increase of science, the increase of complexity, even the increase of size.” A meteorite or a body in the heavens of the size of the Isle of Man or of Europe could not possibly have an atmosphere, . and could not, he presumed, be a seat of life such as we know it. Even the moon was hardly big enough to have an atmosphere, or, at all events, a decent atmosphere. The earth was just big enough to hold oxygen by its gravitative attraction. Except for that and its size it could not hold oxygen; wo could not be here, though wo might be elsewhere.—(Laughter.) The sun was so big that it could hold hydrogen. Hydrogen made its way to the sun. Eur-

thermore, the great size of the sun made it hot. Its own gravitative attraction made it 6o vigorous that a pound there weighed a quarter of a hundredweight. The distances were to largo that a gravitated shrinkage kept it at the high temperature at which it was. It was that which made it a source of energy and vitality on the planets around. That which took place in astronomy took place also among the atoms, which in themselves were exihibiting some astronomical analogies. Complexity and instability were , essential to the operations of life. “By having a molecule sufficiently complex and sufficiently unstable and supplied with the energy of sunlight, you have apparently,” said Sir Oliver, “ the physical and chemical substratum for the operations of life. You have' the potential living matter. I do not say we have made that potential living matter yet. That will be a great achievement, and I have not much doubt that it may be done.” But if they called that the origin of life, he thought they would not be using the phrase in an accurate or scientific manner. The origin of potential living matter was what really many, people were working at with great ingenuity and perseverance; but if they got potential matter that was not what he N regarded as life. He regarded life as something not of that order, but, of a higher and different order. “I do not think the universe is limited to that which we know, nor limited to chemistry and physics. Life, whatever it is—l do. not know what it is—makes use of potential living matter when provided, and I should sdy it is provided by parents and passed on. But it may be provided in the laboratory, and utilised by sunlight, but that would hot be the origin of life. It would merely be the construction of a physical and .chemical vehicle that could be made use of.” — (Cheers.) > Professor Armstrong said that Professor Schafer had enormously underrated the difficulties from the chemists’s point of view, that underlay- the problem of life. He spoke of the experiments as revealing nothing now. What was said to have been done by sunlight had been done before by magnesium. He attacked the idea of making uoe of colloids. It was a bleesed word among physiologists, but it was like so many blessed words; it was used to obscure and) wrap up ignorance.