Thursday, August 7, 2014

Why are the Miller-Urey experiments essential to the theory of evolution? A. They showed that life can only come from life. B. They showed that...

The Miller-Urey experiments are actually somewhat controversial in the modern context in terms of whether they accurately represent the conditions of the early Earth, and whether their conclusions are indicative of processes that actually took place. Nevertheless the key point they demonstrated was that the synthesis of seemingly "complex" molecules (amino acids and other organics) through non-living precursor mechanisms was entirely possible.


A: This possibility is discounted because the setup of the experiment specifically excluded...

The Miller-Urey experiments are actually somewhat controversial in the modern context in terms of whether they accurately represent the conditions of the early Earth, and whether their conclusions are indicative of processes that actually took place. Nevertheless the key point they demonstrated was that the synthesis of seemingly "complex" molecules (amino acids and other organics) through non-living precursor mechanisms was entirely possible.


A: This possibility is discounted because the setup of the experiment specifically excluded living sources for the reactants. Further, the argument that "life comes from life" would not be an appropriate conclusion because life is an entirely different and more complex subject than just the synthesis of organic molecules can conclude.


B: Electricity was used in the experiment, but it bears repeating that the experiment did not create life. 


C: This is the correct response. It is the most specific summary of the experiment's organization and its results.


D: Natural selection was not relevant to this experiment, because there were no living elements. Natural selection does not exist in and cannot apply to non-living conditions. 

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