Why are the Miller-Urey experiments essential to the theory of evolution? A. They showed that life can only come from life. B. They showed that...

The Miller-Urey
experiments are actually
somewhat controversial in the modern context in terms of whether they

accurately represent the conditions of the early Earth, and whether their conclusions
are
indicative of processes that actually took place. Nevertheless the key
point they demonstrated
was that the synthesis of seemingly "complex"
molecules (amino acids and other
organics) through non-living precursor
mechanisms was entirely possible.

A:
This possibility is
discounted because the setup of the experiment specifically excluded living

sources for the reactants. Further, the argument that "life comes from life" would
not
be an appropriate conclusion because life is an entirely different and
more complex subject than
just the synthesis of organic molecules can
conclude.

B: Electricity was used
in the experiment, but
it bears repeating that the experiment did not create life. 

C: This is the correct response. It is the most specific summary of the
experiment's
organization and its results.

D: Natural
selection was not relevant to this
experiment, because there were no living
elements. Natural selection does not exist in and
cannot apply to non-living
conditions. 

href="http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/glossary/miller_urey_experiment.html">http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/glossary/miller_urey_experim...