Abstract
Meteorites, particularly type II carbonaceous chondrites, provide natural, tangible evidence for chemical evolution, but they do not appear to contain any evidence for biological evolution. On the other hand, some of the oldest sedimentary rocks of the earth have yielded good evidence for early biological evolution; whatever evidence there may be for chemical evolution in these old rocks is generally obscure.
Carbonaceous chondrites (types I, II, and III) have been examined for their content of various kinds of organic compounds. Amino acids have been reported to be present in the three types, but only in type II carbonaceous chondrites (Murray and Murchison) has an indigenous suite of amino acids been found which is apparently free of most terrestrial contaminations. These indigenous compounds are thought to have resulted from extraterrestrial, abiotic, chemical syntheses, and the presence of the amino acids in meteorites provides strong support for the theory of chemical evolution.
The geological record of the Swaziland Sequence and Bulawayan System of southern Africa contains morphological and chemical fossils which indicate that early biological evolution was taking place at least 3.0 to 3.3 aeons ago. Interpretation of the significance of the chemical fossil record has proven to be difficult. At present the occurrence of simple compounds in these very ancient rocks is believed to have little or nothing to do with biochemical processes three aeons ago. The bulk of the reduced carbonaceous material in these rocks, however, probably represents the residue of three billion years old and older organic matter. Isotopic studies of this carbonaceous material may provide chemical evidence for early biological evolution.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Abelson, P. H. and Hoering, T. C.: 1961, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. (U.S.) 47, 623.
Anders, E.: 1971, Ann. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 9, 1.
Anders, E., DuFresne, E. R., Hayatsu, R., Cavaille, A., DuFresne, A., and Fitch, F. W.: 1964, Science 146, 1157.
Baker, B. L.: 1971, Space Life Sci. 2, 472.
Behrens, E. S. and Frishman, S. A.: 1971, J. Geol. 79, 94.
Berzelius, J. J.: 1834, Ann. Phys. Chem. 33, 113.
Breger, I. A., Zubovic, P., and Chandler, J. C.: 1972; Nature 236, 155.
Briggs, M. H. and Mamikunian, G.: 1963, Space Sci. Rev. 1, 647.
Brooks, J. and Shaw, G.: 1972, Chemical Geol. 10, 69.
Calder, J. A. and Parker, P. L.: 1973, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 37, 133.
Cloud, P. E., Jr.: 1972, Am. J. Sci. 272, 537.
Cronin, J. R. and Moore, C. B.: 1971, Science 172, 1327.
Degens, E. T.: 1969, in G. Eglinton and M. T. J. Murphy (eds.), Organic Geochemistry, Methods and Results, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp. 304–329.
Degens, E, T. and Bajor, M.: 1962, Naturwissenschaften 49, 605.
Haldane, J. B. S.: 1929, Rationalist Annual; (1933) Science and Human Life, Harper Bros., N.Y., p. 149.
Hamilton, P. B.: 1965, Nature 205, 284.
Han, J., Simoneit, B., Burlingame, A. L., and Calvin, M.: 1969, Nature 222, 364.
Hayes, J. M.: 1967, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 31, 1395.
Hoering, T. C.: 1964, Carnegie Inst. Yearbook 63, 258.
Hoering, T. C.: 1965, Carnegie Inst. Yearbook 64, 215.
Hoering, T. C.: 1967, in P. H. Abelson (ed.), Researches in Geochemistry 2, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., N.Y., pp. 87–111.
Hutley, P. M., Pinson, W. H., Jr., Nagy, B., and Teska, T. M.: 1972, Earth Planetary Sci. Letters 14, 360.
Kaplan, I. R., Degens, E. T., and Reuter, J. H.: 1963, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta. 27, 805.
Kvenvolden, K. A.: 1972, ?Organic Geochemistry of Early Precambrian Sediments’, presented at 24th International Geological Congress, Section 1, pp. 31–41.
Kvenvolden, K., Lawless, J., Pering, K., Peterson, E., Flores, J., Ponnamperuma, C., Kaplan, I. R., and Moore, C.: 1970, Nature 228, 923.
Kvenvolden, K. A., Lawless, J. G., and Ponnamperuma, C.: 1971, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. (U.S.) 68, 486.
Lawless, J. G., Kvenvolden, K. A., Peterson, E., Ponnamperuma, C., and Moore, C.: 1971, Science 173, 626.
Lawless, J. G., Folsome, C. E., and Kvenvolden, K. A.: 1972a, Sci. Am. 226, 38.
Lawless, J. G., Kvenvolden, K. A., Peterson, E., Ponnamperuma, C., and Jarosewich, E.: 1972b, Nature 236, 66.
Lawless, J. G.: 1973, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 37, 2207.
Lemmon, R. M.: 1970, Chem. Rev. Am. Chem. Soc. 70, 95.
Lovering, J. F., Le Maitre, R. W., and Chappell, B. W.: 1971, Nature Phys. Sci. 230, 18.
Mason, B.: 1962–1963, Space Sci. Rev. 1, 621.
Mason, B.: 1966, Principles of Geochemistry (3rd. ed.), John Wiley and Sons, N.Y., p. 329.
Miller, S. L.: 1953, Science 117, 528.
Morrison, R. T. and Boyd, R. N.: 1969, Organic Chemistry (2nd. ed.), Allyn and Bacon, Inc., Boston, 1204 p.
Mueller, G.: 1953, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 4, 1.
Nagy, B., Meinschein, W. G., and Hennessy, D. J.: 1961, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 93, 25.
Nagy, B.: 1966, Geol. Foren. Stockholm Forhand. 88, 235.
Nagy, B.: 1968, Endeavour 27, 81.
Oehler, D. Z., Schopf, J. W., and Kvenvolden, K. A.: 1972, Science 175, 1246.
Opalin, A. I.: 1924, Proiskhozhdenie zhizni, Izd. Moskovskii Rabochii, Moscow.
Orb, J.: 1972, Space Life Sci. 3, 507.
Orb, J. and Skewes, H. B.: 1965, Nature 207, 1042.
Orb, J., Gilbert, J., Lichtenstein, H., Wikstrom, S., and Flory, D. A.: 1971a, Nature 230, 105.
Orb, J., Nakaparksin, S., Lichenstein, H., and Gil-Av, E.: 1971b, Nature 230, 107.
Park, R. and Epstein, S.: 1960, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 21, 110.
Perry, E. C., Jr. and Tan, F. C.: 1972, Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. 83, 647.
Ponnamperuma, C.: 1972, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 194, 56.
Ring, D., Wolman, Y., Friedmann, N., and Miller, S. L.: 1972, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. (U.S.) 69, 765.
Rutten, M. G.: 1971, The Origin of Life by Natural Causes, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 420 p.
Schopf, J. W. and Barghoorn, E. S.: 1967, Science 156, 508.
Schopf, J. W., Oehler, D. Z., Horodyski, R. J., and Kvenvolden, K. A.: 1971, J. Paleont. 45, 477.
Scott, W. M., Modzeleski, V. E., and Nagy, B.: 1970, Nature 225, 1129.
Smith, J. W. and Kaplan, I. R.: 1970, Science 167, 1367.
Urey, H. C.: 1966, Science 151, 157.
Wolman, Y., Haverland, W. J., and Miller, S. L.: 1972, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. (U.S.) 69, 809.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1974 D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Holland
About this paper
Cite this paper
Kvenvolden, K.A. (1974). Natural Evidence for Chemical and Early Biological Evolution. In: Oró, J., Miller, S.L., Ponnamperuma, C., Young, R.S. (eds) Cosmochemical Evolution and the Origins of Life. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-2239-2_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-2239-2_6
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-2241-5
Online ISBN: 978-94-010-2239-2
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive