Professor Gold was a trip. A true iconoclast. The Russians were onto abiogenic models well before Gold, but Gold did some interesting work on the subject.
Polymath as well. Freeman Dyson wrote the foreword to the “Dark Life” book (I think that was the title, oh well, plunging on) and quietly noted the interdisciplinary interests Gold had and published on (or just spoke about in a public way) and said, his views were often considered “out there”, but various solutions he’d offered for problems turned out to be correct, and in others’ fields. So, Dyson said he’d never bet against Gold. :^)