Hi Og, Ok I will tell you why it was unrealistic although I'm sure you already know it!
The whole purpose of Miller's experiment was to prove that amino acids could form on their own in early earth-like conditions, right?
Miller created an unrealistic simulation of the atmosphere of early earth. Early earth was very hot at those times, and that it was composed of melted nickel and iron. Therefore, the chemical atmosphere of that time should have been formed mostly of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and water vapour. But Miller used methane and ammonia instead because knew that Amino acids CANNOT be synthesized withou ammonia.
You say that these conditions were "similar" to conditions on early early earth. But I really cant see any similarity can you point out the similarity?
The artificial atmosphere created by Miller in his experiment actually have not the slightest resemblance to the primitive atmosphere on earth.
Another point is that there was enough oxygen in the atmosphere at that time to destroy all the amino acids when they were thought to have been formed. Miller overlooked this fact, this is why he did not use oxygen at all in the experiment.
If he had used oxygen in the experiment, methane would have decomposed into carbon dioxide and water, and ammonia into nitrogen and water.
Also, without oxygen, there is no ozone layer on earth, what would then happen to those ammino acids? They would have been destroyed.
When the amino acids were formed Miller used mechanism called a "cold trap," to isolate the amino acids from the environment as soon as they were formed. If he did not, the conditions in the environment in which the amino acids were formed would immediately have destroyed these molecules.
This mechanism of isolation did not exist in an uncontrolled enviroment such as early earth.
Finally, Miller's experiment produced right-handed amino acids and cannot function in the composition of living organisms.
As a scientist how can you disregard all of these points? That is why I said you are a materialist first and scientist second. And you cannot say you are not a materialist because you believe only in material existance.
__________________ "But as for me (I believe) that He is Allah, my Lord, and I shall associate none as partner with my Lord." Surah Al-Kahf verse 38. Holy Quran |