1997 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
The Theory of Origin of Life and Japanese Scientists : from 1930s to 1950s
| Project/Area Number |
07680079
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
科学技術史(含科学社会学・科学技術基礎論)
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| Research Institution | Tokyo Institute of Technology |
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Principal Investigator |
EGAMI Fuyuko Tokyo Institute of Technology, Gradual School of Decision Science and Technology, Research Associate, 大学院・社会理工学研究科, 助手 (80016493)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1995 – 1997
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| Keywords | Theory of Origin of Life / Japanese translation of Oparin's book / Japanese translation of Bernal's book / Miller's experiment / S.Akabori / International Symposium on the Origin of Life |
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| Research Abstract |
The interests in studies on the origin of life, in Japan, began in 1940s, though H.Nagai's book "SEIMEIRON,the theory of life" (1913) and H.F.Osborn's book "Origin and Evolution of Life" were already published. A.I.Oparin's "Origin of Life" (1938) was translated into Japanese in 1941 by a philosopher S.Yamada, and was recognized as an important work.
After the interruption of the publication during the war Oparin's book was soon reproduced in 1946, and J.D.Bernal's "The Physical Basis of Life" was introduced into Japan as a book on the origin of life. It tells that the theory of origin of life was so attractive in the situation. However, the experimental study by S.L.Miller on "Production of amino acids under possible primitive earth conditions" (1953) was not so mentioned in Japanese scientific journals.
Oparin, invited in Japan in 1955 to read lectures, was welcomed, so that the interest in the theory of origin of life rose quickly. In this occasion S.Akabori contributed to Oparin's work presenting him his unique idea on origin of fore-protein. After that Akabori, M.Ishimoto, and Y.Oda attended the first symposium on studies for origin of life in 1957 and presented papers.
In 1960s the general interest in the view of life turned to molecular biology, double helix model of DNA had been proposed already, and the experimental works on origin of life grew gradually in Japan, too, in response to American activity of studies of the field.
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