This publication is a collection of articles by a team of scientists representing more than twenty institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences (six of its nine branches) and other organizations united by coordinated research under Program No. 18 (Subprogram 1) of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences: "Problems of the Origin and Evolution of the Biosphere." The book deals with the theoretical aspects of the problem of the origin of life. Original hypotheses have been put forward. The results of experimental synthesis of compounds of prebiological importance, including ATP, are described. Photoactive systems are considered. Particular attention is paid to the problems of reconstruction of the geochemical situation of the emergence of life on Earth, including the problem of the formation of the Earth-Moon system.