Miller–Urey experiment
The Miller-Urey experiment was an important experiment that tried to show how life could have started on Earth billions of years ago.
So, imagine you have a big jar filled with water and gases like methane, ammonia, and hydrogen - these are the same gases that were present on Earth before life started. The scientists in the Miller-Urey experiment heated this jar using a device called a spark generator, which sparked electricity into the jar, and it made a "lightning" storm.
This lightning simulated the lightning that would have happened on Earth billions of years ago. After several days of this experiment, the scientists found that some of the gases in the jar had turned into other molecules like amino acids and sugars. These are the same building blocks that make up all living things on Earth, including you and me!
This experiment showed that it's possible for basic building blocks of life to form out of ordinary gases with the help of lightning. It also helped us understand how life might have started on Earth billions of years ago.
So, imagine you have a big jar filled with water and gases like methane, ammonia, and hydrogen - these are the same gases that were present on Earth before life started. The scientists in the Miller-Urey experiment heated this jar using a device called a spark generator, which sparked electricity into the jar, and it made a "lightning" storm.
This lightning simulated the lightning that would have happened on Earth billions of years ago. After several days of this experiment, the scientists found that some of the gases in the jar had turned into other molecules like amino acids and sugars. These are the same building blocks that make up all living things on Earth, including you and me!
This experiment showed that it's possible for basic building blocks of life to form out of ordinary gases with the help of lightning. It also helped us understand how life might have started on Earth billions of years ago.