Old Materials Resurface For "Prebiotic Soup"

AliasMarlowe writes "Stanley Miller performed the famous experiments in the 1950s showing that amino acids and other building blocks for biomolecules could be produced by passing lightning through a mix of simple hydrocarbons, water vapor, and ammonia (thought at the time to approximate the Earth's early atmosphere). Other experiments approximated the environment around volcanic eruptions, but those results were not published. Following his death last year, a former student discovered the materials from those experiments, in labelled vials. Analysis of this material indicates that the conditions around volcanic eruptions (still thought to be representative of such events in the early Earth) resulted in a higher yield of amino acids than the simple lightning experiments, and resulted in a greater variety of amino acids." Pharyngula has a discussion of the Science paper, including a graph of the amino acids produced.

Comments

Re:Campbell's Condensed Prebiotic Soup

[Anonymous Coward]

So, the Washington Post endorsed Baraq Obama today. No surprise. Their reason for endorsing him is that he inspires hope (and he's not a republican). But when it actually comes down the specific examples, the best they can do is hope he doesn't do what he promises to do! And they question John McCain's judgement in selecting "inexperienced" Sarah Palin as Vice President. What does it say about their judgement in endorsing Baraq "paper thin resume" Obama for President?

anonymous coward

[Anonymous Coward]

THIS IS WRONG because:

Palin (the famous "Creationist Advocate" for teaching "Creationism" in ALL our schools)

Says this is all wrong.

All you need is ONE GOD + A SHORT TIME (3761 BCE: Ancient Jewish scholars placed creation at this date; this became the basis of the Jewish Calendar).

-- and she said the only flag she has in her office is the Jewish Flag.

I know she is correct -- because her Kenyan Pastor has exorcised her of Witch Craft as I saw on YouTube.

How Life Began....

[jameskojiro]

Why don't they just ask McCain how life began on earth since he was 12 when the first life on earth formed, he should be able to give the scientists an answer, if the starts in on a stump speech that life begins during conception of chemicals in a prebiotic soup. They need to hit him with the cattle prod until he tells us exactly which chemicals processes were present when life began.