In laboratory experiments simulating conditions thought to be present on early Earth, small biologically relevant molecules, including amino acids, simple sugars, and fatty acids, have been synthesized from simple precursors.However, these experiments have not yielded larger polymers of these small biomolecules.If you were to set up a simulation experiment to study the polymerization of small biomolecules, which condition or addition would you suggest testing?
A) Oxygen
B) Liquid water
C) Ice
D) Metals
E) Methane

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Metals can act as catalysts, which can increase the rate of polymerization reactions. Testing the addition of metals to the simulation experiment would allow for studying the formation of larger molecules from small biomolecules.

In Laboratory Experiments Simulating Conditions Thought to Be Present on Early