[Illustration: 15. Equipment for Ponnamperuma Experiments.]
These experimental devices were constructed by Cyril Ponnamperuma and
his colleagues to show that various forms of energy may be used to
produce organic molecules of the type found in living organisms.
In one experiment, electron beams were fired through a glass tube which
contained a mixture of gases believed to resemble the atmosphere of
primitive Earth. A number of organic molecules, including amino acids,
the “building blocks” of life, were formed as a result.
In another experiment—the apparatus on display—electric spark discharges
were used to add energy to a mixture of gases and water vapor contained
in the device’s upper sphere. The lower sphere contained a solution of
water and salts, a solution believed to resemble the slightly salty
water of ancient seas. When heat and sparks were added to the gases and
salty water, a number of complex organic molecules formed.
The results of these experiments supported the hypothesis that cosmic
rays and other high-energy particles bombarding the primitive atmosphere
could have been responsible for the origin of life on Earth.
The experimental devices were constructed and donated by Cyril
Ponnamperuma and the Laboratory of Chemical Evolution, University of
Maryland.