ABSTRACT
Origin of life as a subject has inspired a great deal of myth, both scientific and otherwise. Life could have arisen from non-living chemical species through a long natural process. The transition from non-living matters to living entities was not a single event. The gradual process of ever-increasing intricacy involving molecular self-replication, self-assembly, autocatalysis and evolution of cell membranes led to the event. General consensus is there on the appearance of life from non-living matter. Evidences found so far say that life began almost around four billion years ago. There is no single, general model describing the origin of life. This chapter will review the plausible principles and hypotheses for the genesis of life as a result of chemical evolution.
