Question

Stanley Miller's experiments involved generating electrical sparks (simulating lightning) in a lifeless vessel containing hydrogen gas, water vapor, methane, and ammonia. The result was that _____.

A. amino acids and other complex molecules formed in the vessel. This suggested that many of the organic building blocks of life could have arisen on a lifeless early Earth
B. cell-like structures (spherical lipid membranes) formed. This finding helped scientists model how the first cells arose
C. nothing much happened. This confirmed that physical processes cannot produce complex molecules
D. new life-forms arose in the vessel. This clearly demonstrated that life can arise from nonlife in the proper conditions

Answer 1

Stanley Miller's experiments showed that amino acids and other complex organic molecules could form under conditions thought to resemble the early Earth, suggesting the natural formation of life's building blocks.

Step-by-step explanation:

The experiments conducted by Stanley Miller involved generating electrical sparks in a mixture of hydrogen gas, water vapor, methane, and ammonia within a lifeless vessel to simulate conditions on the early Earth. The correct result of his experiments was that amino acids and other complex molecules formed in the vessel.

This pivotal finding provided support for the idea that many of the organic building blocks of life could have arisen on a lifeless early Earth. Miller's experiments were a landmark in supporting the hypothesis of abiogenesis, which suggests that life arose naturally from non-living matter under certain environmental conditions that existed on the primordial Earth.