By definition, biosphere is the Earth's geological shell populated by living organisms. Therefore, the biosphere's origin and evolution is primarily a geological problem. At present geological problems are solved using methods of physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics. The multidisciplinary approach is a basis of this book. Life origin problems occupy the main part of the book. What is life, and can we understand its origin and evolution on the basis of laws of physics and chemistry? A number of works are dedicated to experimental study of the synthesis of organic compounds of the prebiotic significance, including ATP and photoactive systems. The characteristic feature of our scientific approach is to consider the problem of life origin in the context of the origin and evolution of the solar system, beginning with the protoplanetary stage and including the events of the Earth's early history. The last chapter comprises papers that concern modern problems and approaches to the study of various aspects of biological evolution. The present edition is a collection of articles by scientists representing more than 20 institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences and other organisations, joined by the science program "Problems of Biosphere Origin and Evolution". This book will be interesting for a wide range of researchers: physicists, chemists, biologists, mathematicians. The book represents the stance of the Russian scientific school on the problem of life origin, which does not always coincide with opinions of other scientific schools.

Table of Contents:
Preface; Concept of Sustained Ordering & ATP-Related Mechanism of Life Origin; Molecules & Life; Prebiotic Evolution of Macromolecules. World of Peptides; Computer Simulation of the Evolution of the Genetic Code; Photochemistry of Coenzymes as A Field of Evolution Studies; Computational Study of Possible Mechanisms of Adenine Synthesis; Insulation & Concentration of Adenosine Triphosphate under Prebiotic Conditions: Hypothesis & Experimental Data; Synthesis of Adenine under Pulsed Discharge in the Gas Phase; Peculiarities Associated with the Biogenic Formation of Mineral Phosphorous Compounds by Microorganisms at Different Stages of their Evolution; Role of Impact Processes in the Abiogenic Synthesis of Organic Compounds at the Early Stages of Earth Formation; Prebiotic Synthesis of Biologically Significant Compounds under the Action of Cosmic Energy Sources; Luminescence Detection & Study of Tightly Bound Stacking Aggregates of Nitrogen Bases of Nucleic Acids, Nucleosides, & Nucleotides in Water & on the Quartz Surface as Candidates for the First Genetic Templates; Chemical Intermediates in the Photomodels of ATP Synthesis; Optical & Photoelectrochemical Properties of Natural Photosynthetic Pigments & Porphyrins: Role of Hydrogen Peroxide; Mutual Transformations of O2 & N2O2 upon Irradiation of Air-Saturated Suspensions Chlorophyll/Silica/Water; Photocatalytic Properties of Porphyrins in Dependence on the Nature of the Central Metal Atom; Current Status of the Problem of the Origin of the EarthMoon System; From the Protosolar Cloud to the Planetary System: A Model for the Evolution of the Gas-Dust Disk; Some Models for the Protoplanetary Disk of the Sun at the Initial Stage of its Evolution; Development of Algorithms for Computing the Collisional Dynamics of Gravitating Particles to Simulate the Formation of the Earth-Moon System through the Gravitational Collapse of a Dust Cloud; Index.