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key concept

4.3

The Large Molecules of Life Originated from Small Molecules

The Miller–Urey experiment and others that followed provide a plausible scenario for the formation of the building blocks of life under conditions that prevailed on primitive Earth. The next step in forming and supporting a general theory on the origin of life would be an explanation for how polymers formed from these monomers.

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  • Evidence from simulation experiments supports the theory that biological polymers formed from chemical reactions taking place in early Earth conditions.

  • Scientists hypothesize that the presence of catalysts would have been necessary during the evolution of biological polymers.