Intelligent natural selection or imaginary evolution
In the 1958 experiment, Professor Miller took an important step in this direction by adding hydrogen sulfide to the initial composition. Hydrogen sulfide is a highly foul-smelling, toxic gas released during volcanic eruptions. But new samples of prehistoric soup made by Professor Miller at Columbia University in New York were not analyzed. Professor Miller only accidentally mentioned their existence late in life, and scientists realized their importance shortly before his death in 2007.
The results of a new study on these samples using new techniques that are more than 1,000 times more sensitive to the equipment of Professor Miller’s time were recently published in the Journal of the National Academy of Sciences. These studies have revealed large amounts of organic compounds including 23 amino acids. Approximately 20 amino acids are linked together in chains to form proteins for the production of cells and all organic machines in living organisms.
The amount of amino acids was much higher than the amount produced in Professor Miller’s prehistoric soup experiment and two subsequent studies. Scientists were also able to use modern techniques to improve the results of a re-examination of the original samples, which took place in 2008.
“We found that the amount of amino acids produced in our experiments was much higher than all the experiments performed by Miller,” said Professor Jeffrey Bada of the University of California, San Diego, a student of Professor Miller who led the study.
This finding not only improves the results of research conducted in 2008, but also shows the variety of compounds that can be produced with a particular gas mixture. These findings support the theory that volcanoes played a key role in the beginning of life. Volcanic eruptions provide the main source of hydrogen sulfide and lightning discharges, and were much more common in the years when the earth was younger.
Professor Bada also found that the amino acids in Professor Miller’s specimens were similar to the amino acids found in meteorites, suggesting that processes involving hydrogen sulfide may have been scattered throughout the solar system.
