Classical Experiments That Led to the Discovery of First Life

A series of flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to classical experiments that led to the understanding of the origins of life on Earth, based on the lecture notes.

Miller-Urey Experiment

A classical experiment that simulated early Earth conditions to prove the formation of amino acids and carbohydrates.

Amino acids

Organic compounds that serve as the building blocks of proteins and were formed in the Miller-Urey experiment.

Proteinoid microspheres

Microscopic globules formed from a heated mixture of pure, dry amino acids, observed in Sidney W. Fox's thermal synthesis experiment.

Lipid sacs

Structures built by Jack Szostak from fatty acids that encapsulated RNA for the protocell experiment.

Thermal synthesis experiment

An experiment conducted by Sidney W. Fox to demonstrate the origin of life using specific mixtures of amino acids.

Protocell Experiment

An experiment by Jack Szostak that explored the growth and replication of early life forms using lipid sacs and RNA.

Electrical discharge experiment

An experiment by Stanley Miller and Harold Urey that simulated early Earth conditions to test the formation of organic compounds.

RNA gene

An early form of genetic material proposed in Szostak's protocell experiment, capable of self-replication.

Reproduction in microorganisms

The process observed in proteinoid microspheres, indicating a potential early form of life reproduction.

Early Earth conditions

The environmental factors that facilitated the formation of life, as researched in various classical experiments.