The Origins and Early Evolution of Life on Earth

The video explores the origins of life, starting with early oceans rich in organic compounds, which served as the building blocks for the first unicellular organisms. These early life forms were heterotrophs and prokaryotes. Stromatolites, the oldest known fossils, provide evidence of early bacterial life. Around 2.5 billion years ago, autotrophs emerged, using photosynthesis to produce food and release oxygen, transforming Earth's atmosphere into an oxygen-rich environment.

What are organic compounds and why are they significant in the context of early oceans?

Describe the characteristics of the first living organisms.

What is the difference between heterotrophs and autotrophs?

What are stromatolites and what do they tell us about early life on Earth?

How did the appearance of autotrophs change the Earth's atmosphere?