Robert Shapiro (chemist)

Robert Shapiro
Born (1935-11-28)November 28, 1935
New York City, United States
Died June 15, 2011(2011-06-15) (aged 75) [1]
Nationality American
Alma mater City College of New York (BS), Harvard University (PhD)
Known for Work on origin of life
Awards Trotter Prize (2004) with Paul Davies [1]
Scientific career
Fields Chemistry
Institutions University of Cambridge, New York University
Doctoral advisor Robert B. Woodward

Robert Shapiro (28 November 1935 – 15 June 2011[1]) was professor emeritus of chemistry at New York University. He is best known for his work on the origin of life, 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, and held that the spontaneous emergence of a molecule as complicated as RNA 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.[2]

Works

  • Origins: A Skeptic's Guide to the Creation of Life on Earth Summit Books (January 1986) ISBN 0-671-45939-2.
  • Planetary Dreams: The Quest to Discover Life Beyond Earth Wiley; 1 edition (1999) ISBN 0471407356.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Bob Shapiro Passes Away at Age 75". New York University. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  2. ↑ Alvin Powell, NYU chemist Robert Shapiro decries RNA-first possibility, Harvard University Gazette, 23 October 2008


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