Replies

How do you create Amino Acids from scratch??? (Bear in mind that when we say from "scratch" we mean from absolute nothing).

You are no doubt anticipating this, regarding the Miller/Urey experiment:

He reproduced the early atmosphere of Earth that Urey proposed by creating a chamber with only hydrogen, water, methane, and ammonia. To speed up "geologic time" in his experiment, he boiled the water and instead of exposing the mix to ultraviolet light he used an electric discharge something like lightning. After just a week, Miller had a residue of compounds settled in his system. He analyzed them and the results were electrifying: Organic compounds had been formed, most notably some of the "building blocks of life," amino acids. Amino acids are necessary to form proteins which themselves form the structure of cells and play important roles in the biochemical reactions life requires. Miller found the amino acids glycine, alanine, aspartic and glutamic acid, and others. Fifteen percent of the carbon from the methane had been combined into organic compounds. As amazing as discovering amino acids at all was how easily they had formed.

Urey proposed by creating a chamber with only hydrogen, water, methane, and ammonia"

I guess you missed my words that from "scratch" means ABSOLUTE NOTHING. This experiment already started with 4 elements and then added heat and light. You didn't answer the question - "How did nothing explode?"

But if I recall, those amino acids simply laid there. The next steps did not occur. Simply making them doesn't mean anything. Some other forces worked to allow their combination into the molecules that would become "living". I wonder what that might have been?

"He reproduced the early atmosphere of Earth that Urey proposed by creating a chamber with only hydrogen, water, methane, and ammonia."

And of course he knew what the correct formula was for the "earyly atmosphere" because he was there and measured the contents of it before he went back into his time machine to re-create it, UM, I mean re-evolve it in the present.....right?