The History of Life on Earth

What are the four stages of the hypothesis for the origin of life on Earth by chemical evolution?

• 1.The biotic synthesis of small organic molecules
  2. The joining of these small molecules into micro molecules
  3. The packaging of these molecules into "protobionts"
  4. The origin of self-replicating molecules that eventually made inheritance impossible.

• 1.The abiotic synthesis of large organic molecules
  2. The joining of these large molecules into macromolecules
  3. The packaging of these molecules into "protobionts"
  4. The origin of self-replicating molecules that eventually made natural selection possible.

• 1.The abiotic synthesis of small organic molecules
  2. The joining of these small molecules into macromolecules
  3. The packaging of these molecules into "protobionts"
  4. The origin of self-replicating molecules that eventually made inheritance possible.

• 1.The abiotic synthesis of small organic molecules
  2. The joining of these small molecules into macromolecules
  3. The packaging of these molecules into "prototypes"
  4. The origin of duplication molecules that eventually made inheritance possible.

What formed about 4.6 billion years ago?

• Earth

• Mars

• moon

• solar system

What did Earth's early atmosphere contain?

• carbon dioxide

• water vapor

• chemicals released by volcanic eruption

• carbon monoxide

What was the Oparin-Haldane hypothesis and in what conditions were most of these reactions probably occurred on Earth?

• the Earth's early atmosphere was a oxidizing (electron-reducing) environment, in which organic compounds could have formed from simple molecules; the energy for this organic synthesis could have come from lightning and intense volcanic eruptions

• the Earth's early atmosphere was a reducing (electron-adding) environment, in which organic compounds could have formed from simple molecules; the energy for this organic synthesis could have come from lightning and intense UV radiation

• the Earth's early atmosphere was a reducing (electron-adding) environment, in which inorganic compounds could have formed from complex molecules; the energy for this organic synthesis could have come from volcanic eruptions and intense UV radiation

• the Earth's early atmosphere was a oxidizing (electron-reducing) environment, in which organic compounds could have formed from complex molecules; the energy for this organic synthesis could have come from lightning and intense UV radiation

What was the Miller-Urey experiment and in what conditions were most of these reactions probably occurred on Earth?

• tested the Oparin-Haldane Hypothesis by creating laboratory conditions comparable to those that scientists at the time thought existed on early Earth; perhaps instead of forming in the atmosphere, the first organic compounds formed near submerged volcanoes and deep sea vents

• tested the Oparin-Haldane Hypothesis by creating laboratory conditions more extreme to those that scientists at the time thought existed on early Earth; perhaps instead of forming in the atmosphere, the first organic compounds formed near submerged icebergs and deep sea vents

• tested Darwin's Hypothesis by creating laboratory conditions comparable to those that scientists at the time thought existed on early Earth; perhaps instead of forming in the atmosphere, the first organic compounds formed near submerged volcanoes and deep sea coral

• tested the Oparin-Haldane Hypothesis by creating laboratory conditions comparable to those that scientists at the time thought existed on early Earth; perhaps instead of forming in the atmosphere, the first organic compounds formed near submerged icebergs and deep sea coral

Name the term: abiotically produced molecules surrounded by a membrane or membrane-like structure

What evidence suggests that RNA was the first genetic material?

• the endosymbiosis theory showed that RNA was the genetic material for all of the early organisms

• they can make complementary copies of short stretches of their own sequence or other short pieces of RNA.

• they are capable of self-splicing

• the Miller-Urey experiment showed that RNA was within the atmosphere

Name the term: oldest known fossils; rock-like structures composed of many layers of bacteria and sediment; dated back 3.5 billion years ago

Fill in the blank: __________ were Earth's sole inhabitants from 3.5 to 2 billion years ago

What happened during the oxygenic photosynthesis?

• Oxygenic photosynthesis probably evolved about 3.5 billion years ago in cyanobacteria

• Oxygenic photosynthesis probably evolved about 3.5 billion years ago in flesh eating bacteria

• Effects of oxygen accumulation in the atmosphere about 2.7 billion years ago posed a challenge for life, provided opportunities to gain energy from light, allowed organisms to exploit new ecosystems

• Effects of oxygen accumulation in the atmosphere about 2.7 billion years ago posed an inconvenience for life, provided opportunities to gain energy from light, prevented organisms to exploit new ecosystems