Difference between revisions of "Miller-Urey experiment"
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===Results=== | ===Results=== | ||
| − | In his original paper, Miller was able to identify glycine, α-alanine and β-alanine while Aspartic acid and α-aminobutyric acid were less certain.<ref name="Miller1953">Stanley Miller. 1953. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20120317062622/http://www.abenteuer-universum.de/pdf/miller_1953.pdf Production of Amino Acids Under Possible Primitive Earth Conditions]". Science. 117 (3046): 528–9.</ref> Miller also stated "it is estimated that the total yield of amino acids was in the milligram range" which means that very little even material formed after a week of continuous running of the experiment non-stop.<ref name="Miller1953" /> | + | In his original paper, Miller was able to identify some amino acids glycine, α-alanine and β-alanine while Aspartic acid and α-aminobutyric acid were less certain.<ref name="Miller1953">Stanley Miller. 1953. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20120317062622/http://www.abenteuer-universum.de/pdf/miller_1953.pdf Production of Amino Acids Under Possible Primitive Earth Conditions]". Science. 117 (3046): 528–9.</ref> Miller also stated "it is estimated that the total yield of amino acids was in the milligram range" which means that very little even material formed after a week of continuous running of the experiment non-stop.<ref name="Miller1953" /> |
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| + | ===Re-analysis of samples and other discharge experiments=== | ||
| + | Miller had performed other experiments between 1952-1954 using two other apparatuses. A few vials of the samples he made were found in the 2000s and analyzed using modern techniques that have more sensitivity. | ||
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| + | {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left" | ||
| + | |+ | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | ! Amino Acid !! Miller-Urey Experiment 1950 !! Bada 2013 Re-evaluation of samples | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | | glycine || Detected || TBD | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | | α-alanine || Detected || TBD | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | | β-alanine || Detected || TBD | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | | Aspartic acid || Unsure but possible || TBD | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | | α-aminobutyric acid || Unsure but possible || TBD | ||
| + | |} | ||
| + | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
*[[Origin of life]] | *[[Origin of life]] | ||
Revision as of 19:39, August 29, 2025
The Miller-Urey experiment was the first attempt to reverse-engineer the conditions in earth's atmosphere that produced abiogenesis – the production of life from non-life. By recent analysis, the experiment did produce as rich a mixture of amino acids as life would require. But it produced those acids in a racemic mixture, and even secular scientists are not willing to accept this as the definitive proof of how life began.
The 1953 experiment
In 1953, Stanley Miller reported the production of biomolecules from simple gaseous starting materials using an apparatus constructed to simulate the primordial Earth's atmosphere-ocean system. Miller used what he thought was primitive gases that would be available on a primitive earth: 200 mmHg of CH4, 100 mmHg of H2, 200 mmHg of NH3 and 200 ml of H2O into the equipment. In other words the ratio was 2:1:2:2 for CH4:H2:NH3:H2O. Then he subjected this mixture, under reflux, to an electric discharge simulating lightning for a week while the water was simultaneously heated for that time period.[1]
Results
In his original paper, Miller was able to identify some amino acids glycine, α-alanine and β-alanine while Aspartic acid and α-aminobutyric acid were less certain.[2] Miller also stated "it is estimated that the total yield of amino acids was in the milligram range" which means that very little even material formed after a week of continuous running of the experiment non-stop.[2]
Re-analysis of samples and other discharge experiments
Miller had performed other experiments between 1952-1954 using two other apparatuses. A few vials of the samples he made were found in the 2000s and analyzed using modern techniques that have more sensitivity.
| Amino Acid | Miller-Urey Experiment 1950 | Bada 2013 Re-evaluation of samples |
|---|---|---|
| glycine | Detected | TBD |
| α-alanine | Detected | TBD |
| β-alanine | Detected | TBD |
| Aspartic acid | Unsure but possible | TBD |
| α-aminobutyric acid | Unsure but possible | TBD |
See also
References
- ↑ Parker, E. T., Cleaves, J. H., Burton, A. S., Glavin, D. P., Dworkin, J. P., Zhou, M., Bada, J. L., Fernández, F. M. Conducting Miller-Urey Experiments. J. Vis. Exp. (83), e51039, doi:10.3791/51039 (2014).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Stanley Miller. 1953. "Production of Amino Acids Under Possible Primitive Earth Conditions". Science. 117 (3046): 528–9.