The Miller-Urey experiment originally created a stir because the chemists managed to create organic materials from inorganic ones. This turned the study of the origins of life, abiogenesis, on its head. It suggested that life on Earth could be the result of lightning strikes in an atmosphere filled with ammonia, hydrogen, and methane. But the amino acids never formed more complex proteins, and the products of the experiment, including the vials of artificially induced proto-life, were placed in storage.

After Miller’s death last year, a marine chemist Jeffrey Bada discovered the materials, as well as Miller’s notes on the experiment. These notes included the suggestion to add steam to the electrical sparks in order to replicate the conditions of early Earth. By updating Miller’s techniques, Bada has been able to produce 22 amino acids from inorganic matter, 17 more than the original experiment.

Said Bada:

It just opens our eyes. It’s still revealing new things. What else is there that we haven’t found out from this experiment?

This still doesn’t solve the question of how abiogenesis occurred on Earth, nor does it rule out the possibility of extraterrestrial contributions to our DNA. But it does prove that sometimes it pays to be a packrat.

Image from Scripps Institute of Oceanography.

From Old Vials, New Hints on Origin of Life [NY Times]

Hitler was apparently a nut on the subject of the occult, to borrow a phrase from Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, and he had a crackpot team of Nazi scientists pursuing everything from human experimentation with brainwashing to looking for the mythic Spear of Destiny, which was the spear purported to have pierced Christ's side during the crucifixion. According to legend, whoever wielded the spear was unbeatable. That sounds like a much cooler subject for a movie than Nazi vamps, so let's hope Hollywood is paying attention.

Leaked photos [BloodyDisgusting]

This all started with a remake of John Carpenter's The Fog back in 2005, and these foggy mutant films just keep rolling in. Based on the box office numbers from the Fog remake and The Mist (it's just about to drop out of the top ten, where it debuted at #8), it's unclear why Hollywood is so into this trend.

The good news is that comic book publisher Studio 407, publishers of Night & Fog, signed a first-look deal with Myriad Pictures, and that means its indie properties will begin the arduous Hollywood development cycle very soon. While it's nice to see deals with companies other than Marvel and DC, we hope there will be a few original storylines tossed into the mix.

Myriad, 407 On Drawing Board [Hollywood Reporter]