Abiogenesis and what are coacervates

The modern reader can be a supporter of any theory of the origin of life on Earth - from the theory of space drift to the eternity of the existence of civilizations. But the thinking reader should know that most scientists adhere to the existence of a prebiological period in the formation of life forms - abiogenesis. And the main theoretical basis in this matter is the Oparin-Haldane theory or the theory of coacervate drops. What are the coacervates and what are the theses of the theory of abiogenesis in the evolution of all living things - in this article.

The emergence of the term

Justification of the theory of coacervates belongs to the Russian scientist of the early 20th century AI Oparin. In 1924 he published his work on the results of studying solutions saturated with high-molecular compounds. He proved that stable zones of increased concentrations of these substances are formed in them, which were called coacervates in biology. What is a coacervate drop is a molecule of a high-molecular substance (protein), around which "shirts" are formed from water and low-molecular compounds.

The Oparin-Haldane theory

It is this process called coacervation of the coacervate. What is the coacervates and the theory of Oparin was supported in 1929 by the Englishman J. Haldane, and it was their surnames that entered the name of the pre-biological or chemical period of the origin of life on the planet. The theory presupposes the spontaneous generation of high-molecular organic substances during the early formation of the atmosphere and lithosphere of our planet.

Experiment with the primary broth

In 1953, chemists Stanley Miller and Harold Küri decided to put the experiment in an environment close in composition and conditions to the prebiotic on Earth. In a flask they placed a mixture of methane, ammonia, hydrogen and added water. Passing through the solution a current (up to 60 thousand V), pumping pressure and raising the temperature to 80 degrees Celsius, they obtained a number of amino acids, urea and other organic compounds. And in 1954 in India the chemist K. Bahadur received organic substances under the influence of sunlight. About the theory of prebiological evolution and what is the coacervates learned and spoke the whole world.

Gelatin in a glass

What is coacervates is easy to illustrate by mixing gelatin, gum arabic or albumin and water. Initially, transparent solutions will first become turbid, and then they will appear small clots floating in the solution. This is the original coacervates. What can such connections do? Separate particles can adsorb various substances and have a clearly structured structure, which determines their individuality. In the process of chemical evolution , selection took place on more stable forms, which became the basis for the emergence of living forms.

From coacervate to unicellular

In the primary ocean, in prehistoric times, the first particles that are partially isolated from the environment appear. They exchange substances with the medium (a prototype for a more complex metabolism), quickly disintegrate or remain intact for a while. Drops grow (increase in size) and divide. And now there is a structure of a higher order - the smallest lumps of the living, which are inherent in the processes of synthesis and decay, development, growth and reproduction. From this moment, life on the planet Earth began its historical development.

The problem of the theory of coacervate

All of the above is beautiful in theory. But, despite the success of biologists in confirming it, everything that we created today in primary broths is far from the real life and structure of the cell. And even the "protocell" created in 2008 by American biologists and the Japanese vesicle with a shell capable of sharing (2011) do not prove that it was exactly like that many billion years ago on our planet. All these experiments only give food for constructing hypotheses of a possible path of the abiotic period of the evolution of life.

Incredibility of events

A mathematician from Britain, Fred Hall, calculated the probability of an accidental appearance of a living cell in a primary broth. Let's just say that in his calculations he used the whole modern arsenal of computers. Under some ideal conditions, this probability is 1/10 * 40,000. This is a negligible value, which reduces the probability of such an event almost to naught.

Probabilities happen

The theory of relativity has not been canceled yet, and a few vivid examples will help show how absolutely incredible from the point of view of the mathematician still happens. For example, if people lived for 100,000 years, then 100% (that is, all without exception) would die in air crashes. But the real fact is that the probability of winning the American lottery Cool Million is calculated accurately and that's 1 to 5 200 000. And American Valerie Wilson won the main prize in 2002 and in 2006. Or another example - in Bulgaria in 2009 conducted an investigation of the lottery "6 of 41". And all because with a difference of four days in different editions fell six identical numbers. The probability of such an event is 3.61 • 10 ^-14 . So the incredible thing on our planet happens.