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Robert Shapiro (28 November 1935 – 15 June 2011) was professor emeritus of chemistry at
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...
. He is best known for his work on the
origin of life In biology, abiogenesis (from a- 'not' + Greek bios 'life' + genesis 'origin') or the origin of life is the natural process by which life has arisen from non-living matter, such as simple organic compounds. The prevailing scientific hypothes ...
, having written two books on the topic: ''Origins, a Skeptic’s Guide to the Creation of Life on Earth'' (1986) and ''Planetary Dreams'' (1999). He opposed the
RNA world hypothesis The RNA world is a hypothetical stage in the evolutionary history of life on Earth, in which self-replicating RNA molecules proliferated before the evolution of DNA and proteins. The term also refers to the hypothesis that posits the existence ...
, and held that the spontaneous emergence of a molecule as complicated as
RNA Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes. RNA and deoxyribonucleic acid ( DNA) are nucleic acids. Along with lipids, proteins, and carbohydra ...
is highly unlikely. Instead, he proposed that life arose from some self-sustaining and compartmentalized reaction of simple molecules: "metabolism first" instead of "RNA first". This reaction would have to be able to reproduce and evolve, eventually leading to RNA. He claimed that in this view life is a normal consequence of the laws of nature and potentially quite common in the universe.Alvin Powell
NYU chemist Robert Shapiro decries RNA-first possibility
''Harvard University Gazette'', 23 October 2008


Works

*''Life Beyond Earth: The Intelligent Earthling's Guide to Extraterrestrial Life'' (with
Gerald Feinberg Gerald Feinberg (27 May 1933 – 21 April 1992) was a Columbia University physicist, futurist and populist author. He spent a year as a Member of the Institute for Advanced Study, and two years at the Brookhaven Laboratories. Feinberg went to Bro ...
) Morrow, 1980. . *''Origins: A Skeptic's Guide to the Creation of Life on Earth'' Summit Books (January 1986) . *''Planetary Dreams: The Quest to Discover Life Beyond Earth'' Wiley; 1 edition (1999) .


References


External links


Faculty page
at
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

Page about his books
1935 births 2011 deaths American chemists New York University faculty Harvard University alumni City College of New York alumni {{US-chemist-stub