Answered: Fragments of the Murchison meteorite…

Biochemistry

9th Edition

ISBN:9781319114671

Author:Lubert Stryer, Jeremy M. Berg, John L. Tymoczko, Gregory J. Gatto Jr.

Publisher:Lubert Stryer, Jeremy M. Berg, John L. Tymoczko, Gregory J. Gatto Jr.

Chapter1: Biochemistry: An Evolving Science

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem 1P

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Fragments of the Murchison meteorite that crashed in 1969 have been analyzed by multiple laboratories. The Murchison meteorite broke apart and crashed on Earth 3.5 billion years ago, causing mass destruction. The 1969 data can be broken down into the following statements.

More than 86 amino acids and 14,000 molecular compounds have been detected.
The amino acids detected are a mixture of right-handed and left-handed molecules and include some known amino acids and several extraterrestrial amino acids.
The concentration ratios of known amino acids are similar to the ratios found on Earth.
The Murchison meteorite belongs to the class of meteorites that contain chemical signatures of the solar system around the time of the Sun’s formation.

Researchers in a lab recreated conditions similar to the Murchison meteorite strike in an environment comparable to Earth 3.5 billion years ago.

Which of the following statements predicts the most likely results from their simulation experiment?

The strike of meteorites alters the chemical signature of Earth leading to the speciation of present prokaryotes to primitive eukaryotes.

The force of impact when the meteorite hits Earth provides enough energy to combine the right-handed and left-handed amino acids to form DNA for primitive eukaryotes.

The impact of the meteorite introduced amino acids and organic molecules that would be precursors to DNA, allowing prokaryotes to replicate and evolve.

The similar organic compounds on the meteorite indicate the presence of prokaryotes that evolved into more complex microorganisms with DNA upon their interaction with Earth’s environment.

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