What was the purpose of Miller and Urey's experiment?

A. To find out if prokaryotes have genetic information

B. To find out if the protists evolved from the eukaryotes

C. To find out if DNA carries genetic information

D. To find out how biological molecules could have first formed

Answer: D ("To find out how biological molecules could have first formed")

Explanation: The Miller-Urey experiment (conducted during 1952) consisted on exposing a mixture of simple inorganic chemicals (ammonia, methane, hydrogen and water) to a certain set of physical conditions then purported to predominate on the early Earth. Since the experiment resulted in the formation of many complex organic compounds such as amino acids and sugars, it was taken as evidence to suggest that cellular life may have arisen on Earth spontaneously (a process now dubbed "abiogenesis"). Further experiments since then have extended and refined the original findings.