Origin of Life Experiment

Overview

• Spanish lab researchers have observed the emergence of compartments with the basic components of organisms.
• Geologist Juan Manuel García Ruiz and his colleagues created a "protoworld" in their lab near La Concha beach in San Sebastián.

The Experiment

• It involves a small, transparent three-liter container with water, methane, nitrogen, and ammonia and electrical discharges to simulate early Earth conditions.
• This is a version of Stanley Miller's experiment from 1952, which showed the basic building blocks of life can form in primordial conditions.
• García Ruiz's experiment also produced "protocells" - structures considered a precursor to life.
• The experiment lasted two weeks, resulting in a surface layer and the clear water turning yellowish-brown.
• Microscopic images show many tiny, curved structures that appear to be living but are self-organized molecules.

Origin of Life

• The study suggests life's origin was a chemical evolution over millions of years rather than a "divine breath".
• García Ruiz posits that these "protoworlds" could exist on billions of planets.

Stanley Miller's Experiment

• Stanley Miller's experiment in 1953 demonstrated that amino acids can be created from gases, water, and electrical discharges.
• García Ruiz's team repeated the experiment in 2021, replacing the glass container with a Teflon one.
• The conclusion was that silica, a mineral of silicon and oxygen found in glass, was essential.
• García Ruiz's consortium received 10 million euros from the EU to study silica's role in the origin of life.

Protocells

• The experiment also generated amino acids and the five nucleobases of DNA.
• The protocells are hollow vesicles that compartmentalize space, enclosing life's building blocks and enabling reactions.
• García Ruiz believes these protocells probably appeared in Miller's previous experiments.
• Protocells consist of repeating units of hydrogen, carbon, and nitrogen.
• Polymers of cyanohydric acid have the capabilities to create everything needed for life's building blocks.
• García Ruiz's study is published in PNAS.

Experts views

• Biologist Antonio Lazcano recalls Aleksandr Oparin's theory that the first organisms resulted from chemical evolution.
• Lazcano applauds García Ruiz's work to the formation of complex microscopic structuress in one system.
• Lazcano is cautious about calling them protocells because it implies an evolutionary continuity not yet proven.
• García Ruiz states that the boundary between living and non-living things is becoming less clear.
• Biologist Kepa Ruiz Mirazo appreciates García Ruiz's work and the formation of compartments similar to a cell.

Future Research

• García Ruiz prepares for a 2026 expedition to Kenya's Rift Valley.
• The team will continue Miller's experiment with varying temperatures and ingredients like sulfur, phosphorus, and carbon monoxide.