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The Origin and Early Evolution of Life

The Origin and Early Evolution of Life. Chapter 18. The Big Bang. 12-15 billion years ago all matter was compressed into a space the size of our sun Sudden instantaneous distribution of matter and energy throughout the known universe. Archaean Eon and Earlier. 4,600 mya: Origin of Earth

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The Origin and Early Evolution of Life

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  1. The Origin and Early Evolution of Life Chapter 18

  2. The Big Bang • 12-15 billion years ago all matter was compressed into a space the size of our sun • Sudden instantaneous distribution of matter and energy throughout the known universe

  3. Archaean Eon and Earlier • 4,600 mya: Origin of Earth • 4,600 - 3,800 mya • Formation of Earth’s crust, atmosphere • Chemical and molecular evolution • First cells (anaerobic bacteria)

  4. Earth Forms • About 4.6 and 4.5 billion years ago • Minerals and ice orbiting the sun started clumping together • Heavy metals moved to Earth’s interior, lighter ones floated to surface • Produced outer crust and inner mantle

  5. First Atmosphere • Hydrogen gas • Nitrogen • Carbon monoxide • Carbon dioxide • No gaseous oxygen

  6. Earth Is “Just Right” for Life • Smaller in diameter, gravity would not be great enough to hold onto atmosphere • Closer to sun, water would have evaporated • Farther from sun, water would have been locked up as ice

  7. Stanley Miller’s Experiment • Mixed methane, hydrogen, ammonia, and water • Simulated lightning • Amino acids and other small molecules formed

  8. How Did Cells Originate? • In the first 600 million years or so of Earth history, enzymes, ATP, and other crucial organic compounds probably assembled spontaneously

  9. Possible Sequence

  10. RNA World • DNA is genetic material now • DNA-to-RNA-to-protein system is complicated • RNA may have been first genetic material • RNA can assemble spontaneously • How switch from RNA to DNA might have occurred is not known

  11. The First Cells • Originated in Archaean Eon • Were prokaryotic heterotrophs • Secured energy through anaerobic pathways • No oxygen present • Relied on glycolysis and fermentation

  12. Proterozoic Eon • Origin of photosynthetic eubacteria • Noncyclic pathway first • Cyclic pathway next • Oxygen accumulates in atmosphere • Origin of aerobic respiration

  13. Advantages of Organelles • Nuclear envelope may have helped to protect genes from competition with foreign DNA • ER channels may have similarly protected vital proteins

  14. Possible Origin of ER

  15. Theory of Endosymbiosis • Lynn Margulis • Mitochondria and chloroplasts are the descendents of free-living prokaryotic organisms • Prokaryotes were engulfed by early eukaryotes and became permanent internal symbionts

  16. Evolutionary Tree

  17. Evolutionary Tree

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