What did the Urey/Miller experiment provide?

Nickman · Post by **Nickman** » Sat Sep 01, 2012 1:45 am

Apart from creating amino acids, what did the experiment "prove" or evidence?

sayak83 · Post by **sayak83** » Sat Sep 01, 2012 4:19 am

It proved amino acids can be created.

Nilloc James · Post by **Nilloc James** » Sat Sep 01, 2012 6:59 pm

sayak83 wrote: It proved amino acids can be created.

Most importantly it demonstrates that they can form under conditions that have existed on earth through natural processes.

It's a clue to what could have been the early replicators on earth and where they came from.

Jax Agnesson · Post by **Jax Agnesson** » Sat Sep 01, 2012 9:02 pm

Wot Nilloc sed.
It's a clue.
Science is usually developed in incremental stages. Little by little, not setting out to 'prove' anything.
Urey/Miller was a well-designed experiment; it was not unnecessarily complicated, but it covered all the points it needed to cover; it was clear, easy to examine and to challenge; and it pointed a way to search onward. The result was important for future work.
That's what good science is like.
But I don't know if it 'proved' anything other than what has already been mentioned; ie that the basic molecules of life will assemble from a jumbled collection of their component elements and simple compounds, given some fairly ordinary conditions (the presence of a water cycle and lightning) and some time.

Nickman · Post by **Nickman** » Sat Sep 01, 2012 10:35 pm

Do you think we could use the experiment to one day create life processes, if we find the right conditions from which they arose?

Nilloc James · Post by **Nilloc James** » Sun Sep 02, 2012 12:18 am

I suppose; we already radically change species with our current technology, e.g. genetically engineering goats to produce spider web proteins in their milk. It wouldn't surprise me if one day the technology exists.

Nickman · Post by **Nickman** » Mon Sep 03, 2012 9:25 pm

Nilloc James wrote: I suppose; we already radically change species with our current technology, e.g. genetically engineering goats to produce spider web proteins in their milk. It wouldn't surprise me if one day the technology exists.

I think it shows that by simple manipulation of DNA we could make any creature because our DNA isall the same, just in different sequences. Starting out as amino acids into protiens, into RNA into DNA is consistent with this. Im still not sold on evolution, even though I am an atheist, but it is much more practical and reasonable than "god did it".

Nilloc James · Post by **Nilloc James** » Tue Sep 04, 2012 12:35 am

Nickman wrote:
Nilloc James wrote: I suppose; we already radically change species with our current technology, e.g. genetically engineering goats to produce spider web proteins in their milk. It wouldn't surprise me if one day the technology exists.
I think it shows that by simple manipulation of DNA we could make any creature because our DNA isall the same, just in different sequences. Starting out as amino acids into protiens, into RNA into DNA is consistent with this. Im still not sold on evolution, even though I am an atheist, but it is much more practical and reasonable than "god did it".

Well not all the same. There a differences in content and differences in the how the DNA is utilized.

Nickman · Post by **Nickman** » Tue Sep 04, 2012 12:40 am

Nilloc James wrote:
Nickman wrote:
Nilloc James wrote: I suppose; we already radically change species with our current technology, e.g. genetically engineering goats to produce spider web proteins in their milk. It wouldn't surprise me if one day the technology exists.
I think it shows that by simple manipulation of DNA we could make any creature because our DNA isall the same, just in different sequences. Starting out as amino acids into protiens, into RNA into DNA is consistent with this. Im still not sold on evolution, even though I am an atheist, but it is much more practical and reasonable than "god did it".
Well not all the same. There a differences in content and differences in the how the DNA is utilized.

So dna is not all the same in terms of material?