CONTENTS:LIST OF CONTRIBUTORSPROLOGUEI. TOWARD THE ORIGINS OF LIFEA Definition of Life?Life on a TapeThe Localization of OrderThe Chemistry of Life: Why Carbon? What Else?WaterSuggestions for Further ReadingII. THE ORIGINS OF LIFE: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SEARCHThe Early QuestionersThe Evolutionary SynthesisThe Experimental Era: Origins Enter the LaboratoryThe Space AgeSuggestions for Further ReadingIII. THE TWO RECORDS: IN THE ROCKS AND IN THE CELLSThe Age of the EarthVisible Traces in the RocksThe Carbon Chemistry of Ancient Rocks: An OpportunityThe Record in Living FormsThe Kingdoms of LifeSuggestions for Further ReadingIV. THE NATURAL EVIDENCEThe Birth of the Solar SystemComets and MeteoritesComparative PlanetologyAncient AtmospheresThe Ancient SurfacesSuggestions for Further ReadingV. THE LABORATORY EXPERIENCEIntroductionExtraterrestrial EvidenceThe Experimental EraInorganic AspectsPolypeptides, Polynucleotides, and the Beginnings of Natural SelectionMembranesSuggestions for Further ReadingVI. RECOMMENDATIONSIntroductionSolar SystemThe EarthThe CellChemical EvolutionModels for Early Life FormsThe Replication of Surface Patterns?An Alternative Entry for LifeSummaryNext Organizational StepsAPPENDIX: MOLECULAR STRUCTURES OF IMPORTANT BIOLOGICAL COMPOUNDS