Organic Molecules Formed Miller Urey Experiment (Origin of Life)

Remember the Following as the Origin of Life is Considered: 1. The smallest known protein has 51 L-type amino acids in a particular order. 2. One of the smallest living organisms is a mollicute. It consists of 256,000 L-type amino acids in a particular order.

Think Critically Does the idea of simple organic molecules being formed prove that they could assemble themselves by random chance into a biologic protein? Does the formation of simple organic molecules confirm the idea of life resulting from these molecules?

In 1953 Stanley Miller and Harold Urey performed the first experiment that produced amino acids in what was assumed to be a pre-life atmosphere. They passed a mixture of water vapor, methane, hydrogen and ammonia gases through an electric arc to simulate what would happen if these gases were subjected to lightning.

Miller Urey Experiment Apparatus

Miller Urey Experimental Results 10 biologic amino acid types 25 non-biologic amino acid types Formaldehyde Sugars

Think Critically In considering your answers to the following questions remember that natural selection and mutations only effect living organisms. Do You Think the Results of the Miller Urey Experiment Indicate That the Biologic Amino Acids Could Separate Themselves From the Non-biologic Amino Acids and other compounds By Random Chance Happenings to Form a Biological Polypeptide?

Think Critically (cont’d) Are the Odds That This Could Happen Greater Than Those of Winning the Power Ball Lottery? Could insulin have been formed?

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