Abiogenesis Is A Sound Explanation For The Origin Of Life On Earth

Thanks for accepting Con.Also, thanks for agreeing to all of the definitions.This topic has always intrigued me, so I look forward to our discussion.*Outline of Abiogenesis*1. With an atmosphere, water salinity, inorganic compounds, electricity, and UV rays likely of a prebiotic earth, inorganic compounds can naturally become organic compounds in the form of amino acids.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...2. Amino acids make up proteins, in chains called polypeptides, and the sequence of the amino acid chain causes the polypeptide to fold into a shape that is biologically active.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...3. Biologically active amino acid sequences can in fact metabolize compounds.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...4. Amino acids are catalysts, because they tend to increase the rate of chemical reactions, and in a prebotic network full of amino acids, RNA can emerge due to its auto-catalytic property.http://www.pnas.org...5. RNA is also self-replicating, and because of this, was able to thrive in a prebiotic amino acid network.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...6. With biologically active amino acid chains and self-replicating RNA, membranes can form, which all combined forms a protocell.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...7. Protocells can metabolize with amino acids and replicate with RNA, and this is the origin of genetic polymers.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...8. A protocell with a membrane and genetic polymers that can metabolize and self replicate is a full blown living cell, and these single cells are life; they're simple life, but they're life.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...9. These simple life forms would need to eventually consume more, and the network of amino acids and other compounds in the region were in fact edible.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...10. Given all of this evidence, abiogenesis is a sound explanation for the origin of life on Earth.Inorganic compounds of a prebiotic Earth can be come organic amino acid compounds, which themselves can become biologically active and can catalyze reactions that favor an emergence of auto-catalytic RNA, which can self-replicate and thus allow for a an encapsulated cell with a membrane and genetic polymers that replicates and metabolizes available compounds in the prebiotic network.*Explanation of Abiogenesis*1. Inorganic-->Organic Amino AcidsCompounds covalently (sharing electrons) bonded to carbon are organic.Compounds not covalently bonded to carbon are inorganic.Inorganic = H N C O (cyanate)Organic = C 2 H 5 N O 2 (glycine, an amino acid)You can tell that the difference between inorganic and organic carbon compounds is rather insignificant.One more carbon atom, four more hydrogen atoms, and one more oxygen atom...that's it.The Miller-Urey experiment in the 50's demonstrated that with an atmosphere, water salinity, electricity, and inorganic compounds likely of an earlier earth, inorganic compounds will produce organic amino acid compounds.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...The link above has a very informative video of how the experiment is done and how you could plausibly do it too.That's what abiogenesis is...the idea that inorganic compounds can become organic compounds which lead to subsequent life forms.2. Replication of Inorganic-->Organic Amino AcidsThough people agreed that lightning occurs without life and in atmospheres on other planets, people still complained that the atmosphere of earlier earth had more oxygen than the Miller-Urey experiment accounted for.The replicated experiments of the Miller-Urey took that into account, and used:1. H2, CH4, NH3, H2O, H2S and electricity, and yielded the amino acids cysteine, cystine, and methionine.2. CH4, C2H6, NH3, H2S and UV rays, and yielded alanine, glycine, serine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, and cystine.3. CH4, H2O, H2S, NH3, N2, and electricity, and yielded methionine."When reduced gases, including CH4, H2S and NH3, are emitted from a volcano into a lightning-rich atmosphere, hydrogen cyanide, ethylene, and acetylene can be generated."http://www.pnas.org...So we know that amino acids, organic compounds, can come from inorganic compounds.But what about genetic replication?3. Amino Acids-->Biologically Active NetworkAmino acid chains (polypeptides) can fold onto themselves and become biologically active."The sequence of nucleotides in DNA has now been converted to the sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide chain."https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...Yes, amino acids fold onto themselves and become biologically active and functional.So we have biologically active amino acids...how do they replicate?Well amino acids tend to speed up reactions; they're catalysts.So before there was life, there were pre-biotic catalysts, amino acids."catalysis in a pre-biotic network initiated...the emergence of RNA as the dominant macromolecule due to its ability to both catalyze chemical reactions and to be copied in a template-directed manner."https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...So, from inorganic compounds of earlier earth, we got organic amino acids, which, when folded, become biologically active, and can catalyze reactions that lead to the emergence of RNA, which is necessary for genetic replication.4. RNA network-->CellsIn this pre-biotic network, any encapsulation of the amino acids and RNA would act as a membrane, thus would suffice as a protocell, but because this encapsulation concentrated replication, it allowed for genetic polymers, which makes it a full blown living cell."We have proposed that a simple primitive cell, or protocell, would consist of two key components: a protocell membrane that defines a spatially localized compartment, and an informational polymer that allows for the replication and inheritance of functional information...protocells could take up nutrients from their environment...[allowing for] chemical genome replication and compatibility with membrane encapsulation."https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...5. Primitive Cellular Life Must ConsumeAny primitive organism would be replicating with RNA and metabolizing with amino acids, but what might they be consuming?"Sixty years after the seminal Miller-Urey experiment that abiotically produced a mixture of racemized amino acids, we provide a definite proof that this primordial soup, when properly cooked, was edible for primitive organisms."https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...*Affirm*So, I affirm that abiogenesis is a sound explanation for the origin of life on Earth, because there's so much converging evidence that indicates such.On to you Con...