title: Primordial soup, fool's gold, and spontaneous generation: A brief introduction to the theory, history, and philosophy of the search for the origin of life.
abstract: This study provides a concise background to the biochemical search for the origin of life, as grounded in the field of prebiotic chemistry. It is intended to provide a good summary of competing theories and place them in a broader context, raising questions about weaknesses in any particular theory. This material is relevant for science educators at all levels, and will stimulate interest in a wide variety of students.
authors: Department of Biology, Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada E4L 1B3. jcmcnch@mta.ca.
authors: Jesse
authors: J
authors: McNichol