4.2 Classical
According to this
Experiments
that Lead to
the Discovery
of First Life
WARLITO ZAMORA CANOY·MONDAY, 24
OCTOBER 2016·
Introduction to Life
Science
Objective
At the end of this lesson, you should be
able to describe classic experiments
that model conditions which may have
enabled the first forms of life to evolve.
How did life begin on Earth?
Learn about it!
About 4.6 billion years ago, the Earth
began to exist. The existence of life, as
believed by many scientists, started
from the moment the Earth’s
environment became stable to support
life. Several theories were proposed to
explain life’s origin. One of these
theories is the primordial soup theory
proposed by Alexander Oparin and
John Haldane.
theory, life started in a primordial soup
of organic molecules. Chemicals from
the atmosphere and some form of
energy from lightning combined to
make amino acids which are the
building blocks of protein. Several
scientists conducted different
experiments that modeled conditions
which may have enabled the first life
forms to evolve. Among these
experiments are the Electrical
Discharge Experiment, Thermal
Synthesis, and The Protocell
Experiment.
Learn about it!
Electrical Discharge
Experiment
Stanley Miller and Harold Urey
verified the primordial soup theory by
simulating the formation of organic
molecules on the early Earth. They
confined methane, ammonia, water,
and hydrogen in a closed system and
applied continuous electrical sparks to
trigger the formation of the building
blocks of life. After a day, they
observed a change of color in the
solution. After a week, the solution was
tested, and they found out that several
amino acids were produced. The
purpose of this experiment was not to
try and produce amino acids, rather, its
purpose was to explore the conditions
of the early Earth and what the
naturally occurring results would be.
Learn about it!
Learn about it!
The Protocell
Experiment
Jack Szostak contemplated on how
early life forms formed in a primordial
chemical environment. He then thought
that the simplest possible living cells or
protocells just required two
components to be formed: a nucleic

Thermal Synthesis acid genome to transmit the genetic

information and a lipid sac which
encapsulated the genome and let itself
Sidney Fox demonstrated in his
grow and divide. Szostak built lipid
experiment the origin of life using a
sacs made in fatty acids and a replicase
specific mixture of pure, dry amino
– an RNA molecule that catalyzes its
acids. In his experiment, after heating
own replication, in the test tube. He
the mixture, an aqueous solution was
found out that lipid sacs with more
formed and cooled into microscopic
RNA grew faster. He suggested that
globules called protenoid
such test tube evolution was possible.
microspheres. The globules looked
The results suggested that the early
like coccoid bacteria and seemed to be
forms of life with just a single gene, an
budding, which is a form of
RNA gene, could have undergone a
reproduction in some microorganisms.
Darwinian evolution.
He claimed that the protenoid
microspheres constituted protocells –
almost true cells, and multiplied
Try it!
through division like true cells. He
believed that these cells were the link
Try to leave a piece of bread on the
between the primordial environment
table for two to three weeks. What do
and the true living cells.
you think will happen to it? How will
 you relate this to the experiments about  Jack Szostak made protocells from a
the origin of life? lipid sac and a replicase – an RNA
molecule that catalyzes its own
replication.
What do you think?

Which of the three experiments is the

most plausible in determining the
origin of life? Why?

Key Points

 One of the theories about the early

forms of life is the primordial soup
theory proposed by Alexander
Oparin and John Haldane.
 Several scientists conducted
different experiments that modeled
conditions which may have enabled
the first life forms to evolve; these
include Electrical Discharge
Experiment, Thermal Synthesis, and
The Protocell Experiment.
 Stanley Miller and Harold Urey
verified the primordial soup theory
by simulating the formation of organic
Name:
molecules on the early Earth.
 Sidney Fox demonstrated in his
1. What theory proposes that life began
experiment the origin of life using a
in an ocean as a product of the
specific mixture of pure, dry amino
combination of chemicals from the
acids.
atmosphere and some form of energy to
produce the building blocks of life?
 A. panspermia  IV. DNA
 B. catastrophism  A. I and II
 C. primordial soup theory  B. I, II, III
 D. spontaneous generation  C. II and IV
 D. III and IV
2. Who proposed the primordial soup
theory? 5. Which of the following describe the
protenoid microspheres?
 I. Alexander Oparin
 II. John Haldane  I. They constituted protocells ‒
 III. Stanley Miller almost true cells.
 IV. Jack Szostak  II. They looked like coccoid
 A. I only bacteria.
 B. II only  III. They seemed to be undergoing
 C. III and IV binary fission.
 D. I and II  IV. They multiplied through
division.
3. What was the product in Sidney Fox'
 A. I and II
experiment using a mixture of dry
 B. II and III
amino acids?
 C. I, II, and IV
 A. amino acids  D. II, III, and IV
 B. protenoid microspheres
6. How did Miller and Urey verify the
primordial soup theory?

 A. They confined methane,

 C. nucleid acid genome ammonia, water, and hydrogen in a

 D. lipid sacs closed system and applied

continuous electrical sparks.
4. Which of the following components  B. They used a mixture of pure, dry
did Jack Szostak use to produce amino acids and subjected the
protocells? mixture to heat to form protenoid
 I. lipid sacs microspheres.
 II. nucleic acid genome  C. They used a nucleic acid genome
 III. RNA to transmit the genetic information
 and a lipid sac to let itself grow and
divide.
 D. They simulated the formation of
organic molecules on the early
Earth using the energy from
lightning to form amino acids.
7. Which of the following is not true
about the protocell experiment?
 A. Lipid sacs with more RNA grew
faster.
 B. Fatty acids were used to make
lipid sacs.
 C. Replicase was used as the
genome.
 D. Test tube evolution was not
plausible.
8. What did Szostak's experiment
prove?
 I. Darwinian evolution may take
place in a test tube environment.
 II. The early forms of life with just a
single gene could have undergone a
Darwinian evolution.
 III. Protocells may not be formed in
a primordial chemical environment.
 IV. RNA will not be able to transmit
genetic information because it
cannot replicate on its own.
 A. I only
 B. II only
 C. I and II
 D. III and IV
9. What did the Miller and Urey's
experiment prove?
 A. Complex organic molecules can
develop spontaneously under
primordial environment.
 B. Life could have evolved on Earth
from non-living chemicals.
 C. Protocells were the simplest
living organisms to appear on
Earth.
 D. RNA can produce new RNA
molecules from RNA templates.
10. Do you think scientists still believe
that life may arise spontaneously from
non-living chemicals on our planet
today?
 A. No, because spontaneous
evolution from non-living chemicals
is not yet proven and accepted.
 B. Yes, but only limited.
 C. No, because the conditions of the
atmosphere have changed and are
no longer favorable for spontaneous
evolution to occur.
 D. Yes, because it is a natural thing.