A simulation for finding the origings of life

In summary, according to the article, a group used a supercomputer to simulate the early days of Earth's creation and they found that life naturally pops out of the simulation. However, the article does not mention what happened to the group after the article was published.
  • #1
ShayanJ
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I remember, a year or two ago, reading about a group which were simulating the early times of Earth's creation and they wanted to see whether life naturally pops out in it. But now I can't find it again or any other news from that group. Does anyone know about such a simulation?
 
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  • #2
The only thing that I'm aware of without Googling for it is Stanley Miller's experiments back in the 50's.
 
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  • #4
jim mcnamara said:
It is the Miller-Urey experiment you probably looking for.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miller–Urey_experiment
Danger mentioned that, and although it was interesting, its not what I was looking for. I was talking about a simulation run on a supercomputer. Its strange no nobody else knows about it. Maybe I misunderstood some article or the writer misunderstood a scientist!
 
  • #5
It wouldn't surprise me at all if someone is doing it; I just haven't heard of it. It seems like a job that BOINC should take on for "distributed computing" (I work on SETI, Einstein @ Home, a global climate model, and about 4 other projects). In fact, maybe they have taken it on and that's how you learned of it. I haven't checked what they're up to recently because the stuff that I'm already doing is demanding enough.

edit: corrected a name
 
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  • #6
Perhaps it's this one you were thinking of?
http://www.evogrid.org/index.php/Main_Page
Seems pretty dead, though.
 
  • #7
Another question. How amino acids can form life?
 
  • #8
Shyan said:
Another question. How amino acids can form life?

With the help of fatty acids. The subject is called abiogenesis. Skip to 3:48 for the good stuff

 
  • #9
As to your original question, I hadn't heard of it, but doing some googling, I found this paper that models abiogenesis in terms of fuel cells, which is an interesting idea:


I also found this press release about using supercomputers to simulate abiogenesis:


Here's the actual research:

 
  • #10
Shyan said:
I remember, a year or two ago, reading about a group which were simulating the early times of Earth's creation and they wanted to see whether life naturally pops out in it. But now I can't find it again or any other news from that group. Does anyone know about such a simulation?

While reading through an article at C&EN, I think I found the study you're looking for:
Wang et al. 2014. Discovering chemistry with an ab initio nanoreactor. Nat. Chem 6: 1044. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nchem.2099 [Broken]
Chemical understanding is driven by the experimental discovery of new compounds and reactivity, and is supported by theory and computation that provide detailed physical insight. Although theoretical and computational studies have generally focused on specific processes or mechanistic hypotheses, recent methodological and computational advances harken the advent of their principal role in discovery. Here we report the development and application of the ab initio nanoreactor—a highly accelerated first-principles molecular dynamics simulation of chemical reactions that discovers new molecules and mechanisms without preordained reaction coordinates or elementary steps. Using the nanoreactor, we show new pathways for glycine synthesis from primitive compounds proposed to exist on the early Earth, which provide new insight into the classic Urey–Miller experiment. These results highlight the emergence of theoretical and computational chemistry as a tool for discovery, in addition to its traditional role of interpreting experimental findings.

See also this writeup of the research from C&EN: http://cen.acs.org/articles/92/i45/Simulation-Technique-Finds-Reaction-Products.html
 
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What is a simulation for finding the origins of life?

A simulation for finding the origins of life is a computer program or model that attempts to recreate the conditions and processes that led to the emergence of life on Earth. It uses scientific theories and data to simulate how basic building blocks of life, such as amino acids, could have formed and evolved into more complex organisms.

Why do scientists use simulations to study the origins of life?

Simulations allow scientists to test and observe different scenarios and variables that may have contributed to the origins of life. They also provide a controlled environment that can help validate or challenge existing theories about the emergence of life on Earth.

What are some challenges in creating a simulation for finding the origins of life?

One of the main challenges is the lack of concrete evidence or a complete understanding of the conditions and processes that led to the origins of life. Additionally, creating a simulation that accurately represents the complex interactions and chemical reactions involved in the emergence of life is a difficult task.

What are some key theories and hypotheses that simulations for finding the origins of life are based on?

Some key theories and hypotheses include the primordial soup theory, which suggests that life began in a chemical soup of organic molecules, and the hydrothermal vent hypothesis, which proposes that life originated near hydrothermal vents in the ocean floor.

What are the potential implications of understanding the origins of life through simulations?

Understanding the origins of life could provide valuable insights into the fundamental principles and processes of life, as well as shed light on the possibilities of life on other planets. It could also have practical applications in fields such as medicine, biotechnology, and astrobiology.

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