Oparins

Oparins is a Russian surname. The masculine form is Oparin and the feminine form is Oparina. The name is most widely associated with Alexander Ivanovich Oparin (1894–1980), a Soviet biochemist whose work on the origin of life helped establish the Oparin–Haldane hypothesis.

In his 1924 book The Origin of Life, Oparin proposed that life arose from a gradual chemical evolution of simple organic compounds in Earth’s early oceans, in a reducing atmosphere, driven by energy sources such as heat and radiation. He argued that small organic molecules could combine to form larger, more complex structures, eventually leading to protocells capable of reproduction. His ideas, developed independently of J. B. S. Haldane, formed a foundation for later experimental attempts to simulate early Earth conditions and influenced the field of origin-of-life research.

The surname is found among Russian-speaking populations and in diaspora communities. In English-language references, the term Oparins may be used to refer collectively to people bearing the surname, though it is primarily encountered in discussions of Alexander Oparin.