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Origin-of-Life-Miller-Urey-Reading

The document discusses the origin of life, highlighting that chemical evolution likely began around 4 billion years ago, leading to the formation of cells by 3.5 billion years ago. It details Stanley Miller's 1953 experiment testing the 'primordial soup' hypothesis, which initially produced amino acids under simulated early Earth conditions, and subsequent refinements of the experiment that yielded even more amino acids. The findings suggest that the early atmosphere could have facilitated the formation of life's building blocks, contributing to the understanding of how complex organic compounds could arise without living cells.

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Mary Hallissey
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13 views3 pages

Origin-of-Life-Miller-Urey-Reading

The document discusses the origin of life, highlighting that chemical evolution likely began around 4 billion years ago, leading to the formation of cells by 3.5 billion years ago. It details Stanley Miller's 1953 experiment testing the 'primordial soup' hypothesis, which initially produced amino acids under simulated early Earth conditions, and subsequent refinements of the experiment that yielded even more amino acids. The findings suggest that the early atmosphere could have facilitated the formation of life's building blocks, contributing to the understanding of how complex organic compounds could arise without living cells.

Uploaded by

Mary Hallissey
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Origin of Life – Miller-Urey

Reading

When did the chemicals of life arise?


• The solar system formed about 4.6 Ga ("giga ago" = billion years ago).
• Isotopic evidence of life based on ratios of Carbon-12 and Carbon-13 in graphite from
Labrador dated 3.95 Ga and Jack Hills dated 4.1 Ga.
• Oldest known cell fossils are found in rocks dated 3.5 Ga.

It is probable that chemical evolution began around 4 Ga and resulted in cells by 3.5 Ga.

Testing the ‘primordial soup’ hypothesis


In the 1920s, Alexander Oparin and JBS Haldane independently proposed the idea that simple
chemicals could have combined into more complex molecules of life in the ‘primordial soup’ of early
Earth. This idea intrigued many people and in 1953 a young graduate student, Stanley Miller,
decided to test the hypothesis.
Miller was working in the lab of Harold Urey, recipient of a Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Urey thought
the experiment was risky and probably would not work. He gave Miller a maximum of one year to
get results.
Miller filled his apparatus with the gases thought to be present in Earth’s early atmosphere: water,
hydrogen, ammonia and
methane (remember these with
the acronym WHAM). He added
heat and a spark of lightning to
simulate the turbulent
conditions of early Earth.
Miller started the experiment.
The water became pink after a
day and red by the end of a
week. A yellow streak of new
compounds was stuck to the
glass. It was clear that chemical
reactions had occurred.
Miller was able to identify five
amino acids: aspartic acid,
glycine, alpha-amino-butyric acid
and two versions of alanine.
Further analysis revealed other
organic compounds. However,
Miller could not detect small
amounts of compounds. Diagram of Miller’s apparatus. (Y Mrabet 2008 modified by AJ Hunter
2014, Wikimedia Creative Commons)
Origin of Life – Miller-Urey
Reading

Refining Miller’s original experiment


Miller’s experiment was criticised as scientists drew new conclusions about the early atmosphere.
The original mixture of gases created a reducing atmosphere. Scientific consensus changed to favour
a more inert atmosphere with carbon dioxide and nitrogen. When Miller repeated the experiment in
this atmosphere in 1983, he created a colourless solution with few amino acids.
Jeffrey Bada, a former student of Miller, repeated Miller’s second experiment with some new
additions. Rather than just modelling the atmosphere, Bada added chemicals to duplicate the
minerals present on early Earth. When Bada re-ran the experiment he also got a watery liquid.
However, this liquid was full of amino acids.
After Miller’s death in 2007, Bada inherited Miller’s old sample jars from the original experiment and
other unpublished experiments. Using modern techniques that are a billion times more sensitive
than those used by Miller, Bada and colleagues found that Millers original experiment had produced
not six, but 14 amino acids. An unpublished experiment with higher air flow yielded 22 amino acids.
Miller also performed a variation of his experiment with hydrogen sulfide, methane, ammonia and
carbon dioxide in the mixture. Hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide are common volcanic gases.
Bada’s team analysed the vials from this experiment and found 23 amino acids, some of which
contained sulfur and are involved in protein synthesis.

Implications of the experiment


Miller’s experiments suggest that Earth’s early atmosphere could have produced the chemicals
necessary for life. This result spawned an entire field of research into how simple organic molecules
(e.g. amino acids) could form more complex compounds (e.g. proteins) without a living cell for
assembly. The evolution of living cells took place over millions of years on early Earth. Scientists have
not managed to create life in the laboratory but have made great strides into understanding the
chemistry that would lead to the first cells.

References:
Fox D (2007). Primordial soup’s on: scientists repeat evolution’s most famous experiment.
Scientific American Accessed 17 April 2020
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/primordial-soup-urey-miller-evolution-
experiment-repeated/
Henahan S (1996). From primordial soup to the prebiotic beach: an interview with exobiology
pioneer, Dr. Stanley L. Miller, University of California San Diego. Accessed 17 April 2020
http://www.accessexcellence.org/WN/NM/miller.html
Indiana University (2008). 'Lost' Miller-Urey experiment created more of life's building blocks.
ScienceDaily. 17 October 2008. Accessed 17 April 2020
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081016141411.htm
Miller SL (1953). A production of amino acids under possible primitive earth conditions. Science
117 (3046): 528-529. https://science.sciencemag.org/content/117/3046/528
Origin of Life – Miller-Urey
Reading

Parry W (2011). Possible key to life’s chemistry revealed in 50-year-old experiment. Live Science
Accessed 17 April 2020 https://www.livescience.com/13339-primordial-soup-chemistry-
reaction-amino-acids-life.html

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