Robert Shapiro
Born(1935-11-28)November 28, 1935
New York City, United States
DiedJune 15, 2011(2011-06-15) (aged 75)[1]
NationalityAmerican
Alma materCity College of New York (BS), Harvard University (PhD)
Known forWork on origin of life
AwardsTrotter Prize (2004) with Paul Davies[1]
Scientific career
FieldsChemistry
InstitutionsUniversity of Cambridge, New York University
Doctoral advisorRobert 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

References

  1. ^ a b c "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

External links


Authority control databases
Categories