Alexander Oparin was a biochemist who is most well known for his theories on the origin of life. He also helped develop industrial biochemistry in the USSR and received multiple awards for his work. Here we will cover a little bit about Alexander Oparin’s life, and review his theory on the origin of life.
Oparin’s Life
Oparin was born in 1894 in Uglich, Russia. His family eventually moved to Moscow when he was young, and he ended up attending Moscow State University and studied plant physiology. He graduated college in 1917 and became a professor of biochemistry in 1927. It was in 1924 that he announced his theory on the origin of life. He went on to found the A. N. Bakh Institute of Biochemistry and eventually served as its director until his death. He also organized the first international meeting on the origin of life in Moscow in 1957.
Oparin’s Theory on the Origin of Life
Oparin’s hypothesis suggested that life was developed through chemical evolution of carbon based molecules in a primordial soup. He asserted that organic chemicals in a solution may develop if certain conditions are met. His theory suggested that primitive life on earth may have formed in the earth’s primordial ocean and the selection process eventually created life. He drew influence from Darwin’s theory of evolution and used it to explain how primordial organisms may have formed.
At the time of releasing his theory, another biologist J.B.S. Haldane was also releasing a similar theory. Though his theory was initially met with much criticism due to having no experimental research. Later researchers such as Stanley Miller went on to produce experiments that supported his hypothesis in 1953.
Sources:
https://www.physicsoftheuniverse.com/scientists_oparin.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Oparin
