COMMENTS

  1. Oparin-Haldane theory

    Oparin-Haldane theory, idea that organic molecules could be formed from abiogenic materials in the presence of an external energy source—e.g., ultraviolet radiation—and that Earth's primitive atmosphere was reducing (having very low amounts of free oxygen) and contained ammonia and water vapour,

  2. Early Life Theories: Primordial Soup

    Early Life Theories: Primordial Soup. A 1950s experiment may show how life formed on Earth. The early atmosphere of the Earth was a reducing atmosphere, meaning there was little to no oxygen. The gases that mostly made up the atmosphere were thought to include methane, hydrogen, water vapor, and ammonia. The mixture of these gases included many ...

  3. Miller-Urey experiment

    The Miller-Urey experiment [1] (or Miller experiment [2]) was an experiment in chemical synthesis carried out in 1952 that simulated the conditions thought at the time to be present in the atmosphere of the early, prebiotic Earth. It is seen as one of the first successful experiments demonstrating the synthesis of organic compounds from ...

  4. Hypotheses about the origins of life

    In this article, we'll examine scientific ideas about the origin of life on Earth. The when of life's origins ( 3.5 billion years ago or more) is well-supported by fossils and radiometric dating. But the how is much less understood. In comparison to the central dogma or the theory of evolution, hypotheses about life's origins are much more...hypothetical. No one is sure which hypothesis is ...

  5. Reducing atmosphere

    Reducing atmosphere. A reducing atmosphere is an atmospheric condition in which oxidation is prevented by absence of oxygen and other oxidizing gases or vapours, and which may contain actively reductant gases such as hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane and hydrogen sulfide that would be readily oxidized to remove any free oxygen.

  6. Structural Biochemistry/The Oparin-Haldane Hypothesis

    The Oparin-Haldane hypothesis is a hypothesis independently developed by two scientists: Russian chemist A.I. Oparin and British scientist John Haldane. Both independently suggested that if the primitive atmosphere was reducing (as opposed to oxygen-rich), and if there was an appropriate supply of energy, such as lightning or ultraviolet light ...

  7. The Emergence of Life

    In the 1920s, the classic Oparin-Haldane hypothesis proposed that life on Earth emerged through chemical evolution of abiogenic matter based on the assumption of a reducing atmosphere of an early habitable Earth (Oparin 1924; Haldane 1929 ).

  8. Rethinking Earth's Early Atmosphere

    His experiment turned the study of the origin of life into an experimental science. However, by the 1960s, the validity of hydrogen-rich (and hence reducing) model atmospheres for early Earth, such as the CH 4 -NH 3 atmosphere used by Miller and Urey, was under attack ( 3 ).

  9. Super-Hero Experiment #1: The Origin of Life

    The reducing-atmosphere hypothesis was very important to understanding the origin of organic compounds on primitive earth, and confirmed the lack of spontaneous generation in an oxidizing environment, as observed in the experiments of Louis Pasteur, who proved that bacteria could not spontaneously grow in a filtered broth under oxidizing ...

  10. Formation of Organic Molecules in an Earthly Reducing Atmosphere

    Newer evidence points to an earth atmosphere that was not at all reducing, casting doubt on the idea that the first cells on the planet were heterotrophs. Recent proposals posit alternative sources of prebiotic free energy and organic molecules that look quite different from those assumed by Oparin, Haldane, Urey and Miller.

  11. Setting the Stage for Life: Scientists Make Key Discovery About the

    The scientists show that the atmosphere of Earth just 500 million years after its creation was not a methane-filled wasteland as previously proposed, but instead was much closer to the conditions of our current atmosphere. The findings, in a paper titled "The oxidation state of Hadean magmas and implications for early Earth's atmosphere," have implications for our understanding of how ...

  12. Section 22_1: Origin of Life of Earth

    One such hypothesis discussed was the Reducing Atmosphere hypothesis, which states high atmospheric levels of water vapor, methane, hydrogen, and ammonia gases caused redox reactions where low oxygen levels mean more methane and ammonia molecules can reduce other inorganic molecules, lead to the formation of organic molecules.

  13. Scientists propose new hypothesis on the origin of life

    The Miller-Urey experiment, conducted by chemists Stanley Miller and Harold Urey in 1953, is the classic experiment on the origin of life. It established that the early Earth atmosphere, as they ...

  14. Calculations favor reducing atmosphere for early earth

    Using primitive meteorites called chondrites as their models, earth and planetary scientists at Washington University in St. Louis have performed outgassing calculations and shown that the early Earth's atmosphere was a reducing one, chock full of methane, ammonia, hydrogen and water vapor.

  15. BIO190

    BIO190 - Ch. 4 Prac Based on the reducing atmosphere hypothesis, what is a likely reason that the abiotic creation of life does not seem to occur naturally on Earth today?

  16. BSC 120 CHAPTER 22

    BSC 120 CHAPTER 22. Based on the reducing atmosphere hypothesis, what is a likely reason that the abiotic creation of life does not seem to occur naturally on Earth today? -The current oxidizing atmosphere is not as conducive to the synthesis of organic molecules as a reducing or neutral atmosphere.

  17. Unit 2 Review Flashcards

    Unit 2 Review. Get a hint. Based on the reducing atmosphere hypothesis, what is a likely reason that the abiotic creation of life does not seem to occur naturally on Earth today? The current oxidizing atmosphere is not as conducive to the synthesis of organic molecules as a reducing or neutral atmosphere. 1 / 40.

  18. What does the phrase "reducing atmosphere" mean in quantitative terms?

    11 There is a debate about "how reducing" the atmosphere of the early Earth was, and this question is my attempt to grasp toward an understanding of what that that phrase really means. As a bit of context, the Miller-Urey experiment produces a wide variety of complex organic molecules, but people say it requires a very reducing atmosphere to work, and it's disputed whether the early Earth's ...

  19. Advancements and Challenges in Perovskite-Based Photo-Induced ...

    Perovskite-based photo-batteries (PBs) have been developed as a promising combination of photovoltaic and electrochemical technology due to their cost-effective design and significant increase in solar-to-electric power conversion efficiency. The use of complex metal oxides of the perovskite-type in batteries and photovoltaic cells has attracted considerable attention.

  20. Based on the reducing atmosphere hypothesis, what is a likel

    According to the reducing atmosphere hypothesis, the early Earth had conditions conducive to the abiotic creation of life, including the presence of certain gases like methane and ammonia. However, the composition of the Earth's atmosphere changed over time, transitioning to an oxidizing environment dominated by oxygen.