About

Born in Staro Zhelezare, Plovdiv
district. In 1961 graduated in
Agronomy at the Higher
Agricultural Institute (Plovdiv).
Since 1968 he has been a scientific
researcher at the Institute of
Genetics at the Bulgarian Academy of
Sciences (BAS). Ph. D. in the
Institute of Microbiology (1975).

Assoc. Prof. in 1998. D. Sc. in 1998. D. Sc. in Biology at Moscow State University (1992). His scientific interests and investigations are in the field of masscultivation of microalgae, experimental
mutagenesis, associate nitrogen fixation, endosymbiotic organization of eukariotic cells, nuclear and cell division, biological aging, and neoplasins, etc.

He has participated in many Conferences and Symposia in his own country and abroad -USSR, Czechoslovakia, Poland, France, Germany, Spain, and others. Founder-member (1980) of the International Society of Endocytobiology (ICE) and National Society of Ecological Engineering and Environment Protection, Sofia (1998).

He was awarded a Decree of Merit for an outstanding contribution to Genetics of the International Biographical Center of Cambridge, England (1996), and selected Man of the Year (1996) of the American Biographical Institute, USA.

Some of problems treated in the book: origin of life; early ideas; origin and evolution of the cell; the cell-life link; scientific concepts on the origin of life; attempts of abiogenic synthesis of organic compounds; the “panspermia” hypothesis; evolution of the cell; pre-cell evolution; can proteins self-reproduce?; is the genetic code universal and invariable?; metabolism; tracing life on the Earth; is there life in the Universe?; discovery of the cell; first notions of its essence and structure; later concepts on the structural organization of the cell; cell theory; the cell – basic structural and functional biological system; cell organelles; discovery of the discrete factors of heredity, inheritance and variability; mutation theory; discovery of nuclein and elucidation of the biological role of nucleic acids; chromosome theory of the heredity and organization of genome; modern concepts about the structure, functions and self-reproduction of cells; high-molecular organic compounds (biopolymers) – proteins, nucleic acids and carbohydrates; the Watson and Crick mode!; some deviations from the Watson and Crick model; endosymbiotic organization of the eukaryotic cells; are the viruses cells?; cell division; biological aging and neoplasms; from single cells to multicellular organism; cloning.

All problems are laid out and considered in an evolutionary and historical aspect corresponding to their natural development and study by man. The unclarified problems are symbolically designated as “white spots” in biology. On some issues the author has expressed opinions differing from the officially accepted ones, which rouses toughts and well-intended discussions.

For contacts:

Professor Marin Drinov Academic Prof. N.N. Nicolov
Publishing House Institute of Genetics at Bulgarian Academy
6 Acad. G. Bonchev str., 1113 Sofia, OR of Sciences
Bulgaria 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
Phone (Fax): (+359 2 ) 704 054 Phone: (+359 2 ) 592 246