Describe the experiment of S.L. Miller on the origin of life. Write theconclusion drawn at the end of the experiment.

Stanley L. Miller and Harold C. Urey carried out an experiment on the origin of life in 1953. They created an atmosphere in the laboratory similar to that thought to exist on early earth about 4 billion years ago. A closed tank was filled with molecules like ammonia, methane and hydrogen sulphide, but no oxygen over water. This tank was maintained at a temperature just below 100°C and sparks were passed through the mixture of gases to simulate lightning at 800°C. At the end of a week, 15% of the carbon from methane was converted to simple compounds like amino acids that are responsible for making up proteins.

The diagram below shows the experimental set-up.