In 1963, 1965 and 1967 "Symposia on Quantitative Biology of Metabolism" were organized on the pretty island of Helgoland (Biologische Anstalt) by me in col laboration with O. KINNE and F. KROGER. Unfortunately this worthy approach towards bringing together interested scholars in a regular way ceased, mainly for financial reasons, although the need for and interest in conferences like these for the exchange of ideas on special topics unchangeably persists. So I had to look for other possibilities and one of them was to try to arrange a similar con ference under the auspices of NASA. This institution, however, eventually re-. treated, although during my discussion with its representatives a new special theme gained shape. This is the topic to which this volume is devoted: Bio genesis. It is also treated in a new way that probably could be a model for. similar undertakings: a symposium by correspondence. In this new approach to scientific information exchange, manuscripts were collected by the editor and sent to every contributor for his comments. The author could then reply by means of a concluding remark. So, in many instances very valuable ideas concerning the topics of the several papers could be gathered and it is to be hoped that this procedure has conferred upon this volume a certain uniqueness. Of course, I had to observe the agreement with Springer-Verlag not to exceed the extent of the volume allotted to us.

I. General Formal and Relational Aspects

Systemogenesis as a Paradigm for Biogenesis
Information Theory with Applications to Biogenesis and Evolution
On the Origin of Information in Biological Systems and in Bioids (A)
On the Evolutionary Origin of Life and the Definition and Nature of Organism: Relational Redundancies (A)
II. Optimization and Evolution
On the Dynamics and Trajectories of Evolution Processes
The Limits on Optimization in Evolution
III. Control and Homeostasis
Physical Problems of the Origin of Natural Controls
The Significance of Cooperative Interactions in Biochemical Control Systems (A)
Organization of Glycolysis (A)
Cell Models and the Homeostasis Problem (A)
Contribution to a Mathematical Theory of Synergic Systems
IV. Oscillation, Excitability and Evolution
The Role of Precursors in Stimulating Oscillations in Autocatalytic Diffusion Coupled Systems
Oscillatory Behavior of Enzymic Activities: A New Type of Metabolic Control System (A)
The Existence of Synchronous States in Populations of Oscillators
Reactions of Model-Oscillations to External Stimuli Depending on the Type of Oscillation (A)
Abiogenic Aspects of Biological Excitability. A General Theory for Evolution
V. Statistics and Thermodynamics
Thermodynamic and Statistical Theory of Life: An Outline
Thermodynamic Potentials and Evolution towards the Stationary State in Open Systems of Far-from-Equilibrium Chemical Reactions: The Affinity Squared Minimum Function (A)
Thermodynamic Stability and Spatio-Temporal Structures in Chemical Systems (A)
Optimal Adaptation of the Metabolic Processes in the Cell (A)
VI. Metabolic Evolution
On the Generation of Metabolic Novelties in Evolution
Circular Nucleic Acids in Evolution (A)
VII. Time and Evolution
Physiological Time and Its Evolution
Timeless Order
VIII. Learning, Memory and Evolution
The Ontogenesis of Purposive Activity
Some General Problems of Memory
Role of Glycoproteins in Neural Ontogenesis, Membrane Phenomena, and Memory (A)
On Controlled and Totally Neural-Replies Generated Concepts for Biology and Functional Brain Theory
Remarks on Mathematical Brain Models
IX. Conclusion
How to Conceive of Biogenesis (A Reflection Instead of a Summary)
(A): Abstract.