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History of Life on Earth. Several lines of evidence have led physicists to believe that the universe came into existence 14-18 billion years ago. Our galaxy formed 10 billion years ago. Our solar system formed 4.6 billion years ago. Oldest rocks on earth are 3.8 billion years old.
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Several lines of evidence have led physicists to believe that the universe came into existence 14-18 billion years ago
Our galaxy formed 10 billion years ago Our solar system formed 4.6 billion years ago Oldest rocks on earth are 3.8 billion years old
How did life begin? ? What is life?
The early atmosphere • Very little oxygen (mostly H2, NH3, CH4, H2O) • Why is this important? • electronegativity • oxidation
How can we get organic molecules from simple inorganic molecules? Miller and Urey (1953) produced amino acids and compounds that could produce nucleic acids like RNA
What is RNA and DNA? deoxyribonucleic acid ribonucleic acid chains (polymers)
polymer composed of nucleotides RNA : A U G C DNA : A T G C
A A G G U G G C C C C C C G C C G U U G A A A U RNA could replicate via complementary binding U G C C G G A U
Problem – This would require enzymes • Enzymes catalyze reactions • Proteins could do this • assembly of complex proteins requires RNA message • RNA can act as and enzyme (ribozyme) • could and RNA molecule catalyze its own synthesis?
RNA molecules as self-replicating systems • Proteins (synthesized by RNA message) formed as possibly more efficient enzymes • DNA replaces RNA as the primary carrier of information • Replicating systems become ‘packaged’ in phospholipid ‘bubbles’ • RNA retains roles in catalyzing reactions and a messenger for protein production
‘loves’ water - hydrophilic ‘hates’ water - hydrophobic Cozy water-filled vesicle These will form spontaneously
Why did the replicating systems get better (more efficient)? • Mutation and Natural selection
replicating units Another mutant will this replace the resident form? Mutant – more efficient Natural selection for more ‘fit’ mutants
life: 3.5 bya first living organisms were prokaryotes stromatolites
heterotrophs autotrophs source of electrons (H2S, H2O)
animals: 0.8 bya eukaryotes: 1 bya
Cambrian revolution:the biological “big bang” Starting 530 mya almost all modern phyla and classes of skeletonized marine animals suddenly appear in the fossil record within 5-30 my
Other major mass extinctions would follow but the trend towards increased diversity continued
Ordovician diversification 21 classes of echinoderms, trilobites, brachiopods, bryozoans, gastropods, bivalves, corals Road cuts in the Bluegrass represent this time period – Cincinnati Arch Second largest mass extinction (440 mya) ended the Ordovician
Silurian and Devonian terrestrial vertebrates first terrestrial life Diversification of fishlike vertebrates
Carboniferous and Permian(354-250 MYA) Early vascular plants, ferns, winged insects, amphibians, first reptiles big bugs 75 cm future coal diversification of fishes, insects, reptiles (including mammal-like forms)
Permian ended with the largest mass extinction leading to the loss of most marine invertebrates
Mesozoic Era Age of reptiles also radiation of teleosts, molluscs, sharks, crustaceans, other marine forms flowering plants in the late Triassic along with most advanced insect orders early mammals in the late Triassic early birds late in Cretaceous
Cenozoic Era Glaciers adaptive radiations of: mammals teleosts angiosperms insects