by Karen Crumley

Created on: April 15, 2009   Last Updated: April 18, 2009

The Primordial Soup theory has been around for at least five decades. Oparin believed that the conditions and chemical make-up of the Earth's oceans were optimal for the development of life on Earth. Scientists all over the world have been attempting to confirm this theory ever since.

Elaborate experiments have been performed using understood information about the nature of the Primordial seas. Experimental oceans were set up with the exact chemical formulations reported to have been present at the time life was perceived to have begun. The scientists also simulated the atmospheric conditions believed to have been present at the time. The atmospheric gaseous make-up was very different at that time and it was extremely energetic, producing abundant lightening.

With the simulated lightening striking the simulated Primordial seas repeatedly, the scientists were able to form some organic materials in the waters. They even saw formation of what they called a primitive cell membrane. This consisted of a simple film of organic material that simply did not mix with the hydrophilic materials of the sea water. They were very proud of this accomplishment... until microscopes were built that exposed the very complex nature of the real cell membranes.

It turns out that life is much more complex than they ever expected at the time they proposed the Primordial Soup Theory. Each new technology that allows us to glimpse into the intricate workings of living cells merely confirms its complexities. The cell membrane is intensely specific in its form and chemistry. The millions of chemical reactions occurring in the cell membrane alone are so complex that scientists are nowhere near completely understanding them. There will be jobs for scientists in this field for a very long time.

Embedded in the cell membranes are proteins integral to the function of the membranes. Without these proteins, the membrane would not function and the cell would die. The scientists were hoping that these proteins would form spontaneously in the Primordial Sea mixture with the lightening. What we know now is that it is impossible for that to happen.

Each protein is made up of thousands of amino acids. These amino acids are linked together in the order dictated by RNA strands. The RNA strands are made off of the templates of DNA. After the amino acids are linked together in the specified order, the chain folds up on itself in a very specific order based on opposite charges being attracted to each other. Proteins,

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