Week 2 Critical Thinking Exercise The mechanisms behind the origin of life have

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Week 2 Critical Thinking Exercise The mechanisms behind the origin of life have been postulated and debated ad infinitum. Miller and Urey's experiments showed that given the probable primordial conditions, the precursors to living systems could spontaneously form. Hanczyc's work showed that a very simple system containing just a few chemicals could produce a "body" capable of primitive metabolism and-movement and simplistic behavior 1. How do we define life, given the above facts? Are the "cells" created in a laboratory alive? Why or why not? 2 What does this mean regarding life forms we have yet to encounter? 3 Can we limit potential life to the conditions generally accepted in science? Task 1: Create a new discussion post on or before Friday at 11:55 p.m. by clicking the REPLY v HERE post and reply with your answers to the Week 2 Critical Thinking Exercise questions Your response to the exercise questions should be a minimum of 5 sentences. Going over the

Explanation / Answer

1. The Miller-Urey experiment was a chemical experiment that created, rather simulated the conditions thought to be present on the primitive Earth and tested for the origin of life under these conditions. Hancyc's experiments show simple chemical models of a living cell, keeping in mind that a cell is made up of millions of different types of molecules. He called this as a 'Protocell'.

His efforts showed that the dawn of synthesis of life must consist in the production of forms intermediate between inorganic and organic worlds. By a process called 'Self-Assembly', chemicals associate with themselves to form larger and larger structures. But these structures did not yet seem alive, as there was no dynamism in them.

So, he used another model using 'oil droplets', which is used as a body for the protocell. Further on he explains the concept of 'Clay metabolism', which actually forms a surface on which certain molecules like to associate with, thereby forming a membrane around them by using the lipid molecule. But it was yet life-less, some things were missing; the energy harnessing was not happening. So, in the later oil-droplet model, they showed dynamics, that is movement. This shows there is usage of energy for a work to be done. Movement was seen in its own environment and remodelling its own environment, in order to preserve itself. It could sense and find resources to survive.
Going ahead with 2 protocells or 2 populations of different protocells, a 'population behaviour' was observed. Fusion of protocells were seen, hybridization between 2 protocell types and division too. All this can tell us that uncontrolled chemical reactions produce a diverse mixture of organic compunds.

Based on these experiments, one could say that these created protocells do have life since;
a. Dynamism was observed, non-equilibrium state (that is an energy gradient inside and outside the protocell's membrane). If there was equilibrium, there would be non-life.
b. The environment was a liquid phase, and so were the protocells.
c. Ability to make or break Chemical bonds was evident.

2. Since these protocells lacked a nuclear material or a neural network connection, but yet able to exhibit 'life', it opens up new avenues to explore about the life (or life-forms) we are yet to encounter, which could be found existing on other planets of the Universe.

3. We cannot limit potential life to the conditions generally accepted in general science, because as we see in the above findings about the protocells lacking a nuclear material or a nervous system linked to it, via a Brain, are showing evident signs of life.

Task 1: "By introducing isolated and purified nuclear material into an environment of a protocell, what would one expect?"

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