Dentro del Año de la Evolución de la UAB, las Facultades de Ciencias y de Biociencias organizaron el 28 de febrero la jornada "Evolución Prebiótica". La jornada incluyó varias charlas y la inauguración de la reproducción del aparato de Miller-Urey, que se ha instalado de forma permanente en las Facultades de Ciencias y de Biociencias.
La jornada empezó con la conferencia "Escenarios evolutivos previos al escenario planetario", a cargo del Dr. Josep Castells, del Instituto de Estudios Catalanes. A continuación, fue el turno de la conferencia "Estudios sobre el origen abiótico de la materia orgánica en la tierra y el proyecto espacial Apolo", que pronunció el Dr. E. Gelpí, del Institut de Investigaciones Biomédicas de Barcelona.
El Dr. Antonio Lazcano, de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, impartió la conferencia "Genómica comparada y evolución celular temprana: entre el optimismo y la desesperanza". Y, finalmente, Jordi Isern, del Instituto de Estudios Espaciales de Cataluña, moderó una discusión general.
En la inauguración de la reproducción del experimento de Miller-Urey, Xavier Parès, catedrático de Bioquímica y de Biologia Molecular de la UAB, agradeció la colaboración de las facultades, del Rectorado de la UAB y de la empresa AFORA, que ha construido la reproducción, y a continuación explicó la historia del experimento y su funcionamiento.
Per su parte, Josep Puig, en representación de AFORA S.A., aseguró que "es un orgullo para AFORA" contribuir al Año de la Evolución de la UAB con esta réplica del experimento. Finalmente, Joan Carbonell, vicerector de Estudiantes y Promoción Cultural de la UAB, destacó que la instalació es "un monumento" que "conmemora un avance importante para aclarar nuestro origen".
En el acto también estuvieron presentes Jordi Barbé, decano de la Facultad de Biociencias de la UAB, y Jordi Bartrolí, decano de la Facultad de Ciencias de la UAB.
El experimento de Miller-Urey
El experimento de S. L. Miller y H. C. Urey (1953) significó una prueba substancial de la hipótesis sobre la evolución química y el origen de la vida formulada por A. I. Oparin y J. B. S. Haldane, que habían propuesto que las condiciones de la Tierra primitiva (atmósfera reductora y energía de los relámpagos, de los volcanes y de las radiaciones) eran los desencadenantes de la síntesis de compuestos orgánicos, unidades básicas de las macromoléculas biológicas, a partir de precursores inorgánicos. Miller y Urey, en la Universidad de Chicago, construyeron un aparato que simulaba estas condiciones. A partir de vapor de aigua (H2O), metano (CH4), amoníaco (NH3), hidrógeno (H2) y descaregas eléctricas obtuvieron diversas moléculas orgánicas, entre las cuales había 13 aminoácidos.
El experimento demostró que en las condiciones abióticas previstas por Oparin-Haldane se podía sintetitzar las unidades constituyentes de las proteínas y, a la vez, estableció la metodología para que otros investigadores, variando las condiciones, obtuvieran otros tipos de biomoléculas esenciales para la organización de las formas vivas.
FAQs
Miller and Urey Experiment
They were of the idea that the early earth's atmosphere was able to produce amino acids from inorganic matter. The two biologists made use of methane, water, hydrogen, and ammonia which they considered were found in the early earth's atmosphere.
What did the Miller-Urey experiment set out to test if simple molecules could create? ›
Miller, Urey, and others showed that simple inorganic molecules could combine to form the organic building blocks required for life as we know it. Once formed, these building blocks could have come together to form polymers such as proteins or RNA.
What were Miller and Urey's experiments that attempted? ›
Miller-Urey experiment, experimental simulation conducted in 1953 that attempted to replicate the conditions of Earth's early atmosphere and oceans to test whether organic molecules could be created abiogenically, that is, formed from chemical reactions occurring between inorganic molecules thought to be present at the ...
What were the steps of the Miller-Urey experiment? ›
- Water was heated and the water vapor was mixed with hydrogen, carbon dioxide and monoxide, nitrogen, ammonia, and methane.
- The heated mixture goes up w the gases and is sparked with electricity to simulate lightning.
- The gases were cooled using a glass tube filled with circulating cold water.
From his experiments, S. L. Miller produced amino acids by mixing methane, ammonia, hydrogen and water vapours at 800°C.
What is the most valid theory about the origin of life on Earth How did Miller and Urey verify the chemosynthesis theory of evolution? ›
Answer: The most valid theory about the origin of life on earth is the Oparin-Haldane hypothesis, which is also known as the "Primordial Soup" Hypothesis. Miller and Urey conducted an experiment using methane, ammonia, hydrogen, and water in which they obtained a variety of amino acids and organic acids.
What did the Miller-Urey experiment prove quizlet? ›
What was the significance of the Urey and Miller Experiment? Although it didn't prove how life got started on earth it supported the hypothesis that life originated spontaneously from inorganic compounds reacting with early earth conditions by showing how it could of happened.
What did the Miller-Urey experiment demonstrate quizlet? ›
What did the Miller Urey experiment demonstrate? It is possible to create complex organic molecules, including amino acids, from simple gasses, water, and electrical sparks. the first 1E-43 second of time, when the Universe had such high density that our present knowledge cannot describe it.
What did the Miller-Urey experiment showed that under certain conditions organic compounds? ›
The Miller-Urey experiment showed that, under certain conditions, organic compounds could form from inorganic molecules. What is one consequence of this experiment? The experiment proved that methane and ammonia will always give rise to organic molecules in an circ*mstance.
What was the purpose of Miller and Urey's experiment answers? ›
The purpose of the Miller-Urey experiment was to test the hypothesis that life on Earth developed out of nonliving matter in a possible process called abiogenesis.
The first signs of microbial life emerged around 3.5 billion years ago. Scientists think early life may have formed from lighting strikes or arisen in deep sea vents.
What was the ratio of the gases in the Miller experiment? ›
Miller introduced methane, ammonia and hydrogen in the ratio 2:1:2 in the high energy chambers of his experimental setup. With this ratio of gases, he was able to synthesise innumerous organic molecules including amino acids.
What was the most significant outcome of the Miller and Urey experiments? ›
The classic Miller-Urey experiment demonstrated that amino acids, important building blocks of biological proteins, can be synthesized using simple starting materials under simulated prebiotic terrestrial conditions.
Where do scientists believe that life began? ›
Mineral-laden water emerging from a hydrothermal vent on the Niua underwater volcano in the Lau Basin, southwest Pacific Ocean. The microorganisms that live near such plumes have led some scientists to suggest them as the birthplaces of Earth's first life forms.
Which theory of origin of life is accepted? ›
In the modern theory, the hypothesis of abiogenesis was proposed with a condition that the non-living materials can give rise to life in the condition of primitive earth. This has been scientifically proven and is widely accepted theory among scientist.
What is the electric spark theory of the origin of life? ›
The electric spark theory suggests that life began when frequent lightning struck Earth. The energy from the lightning flashes produced biomolecules. Another theory of the origin of life on Earth is that deep-sea hydrothermal vents played a vital role.
What was the spark discharge experiment? ›
Overview. Henry Cavendish did one of the first spark discharge chemistry experiments in the late eighteenth century. His investigations were designed to study aspects of atmospheric chemistry and showed that the action of a spark discharge in air resulted in the production of nitrous acid (Cavendish 1788).
