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  • When Did Life Begin?: The Origin and Evolutionary Processes of Life On Earth

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    Katen Kyoukotsu
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    1) Evidence suggests life arose on Earth as early as 3.85 billion years ago based on isotopic signatures in ancient rocks. 2) Early life was likely simple single-celled organisms that existed near hydrothermal vents and obtained energy through chemical reactions. 3) The early atmosphere lacked oxygen but experiments show simple organic molecules could form from chemical reactions involving gases like methane and ammonia. 4) RNA may have been the first self-replicating molecule and could have catalyzed its own replication, in what is known as the RNA world hypothesis.

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    Biology

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    1) Evidence suggests life arose on Earth as early as 3.85 billion years ago based on isotopic signatures in ancient rocks. 2) Early life was likely simple single-celled organisms that existed near hydrothermal vents and obtained energy through chemical reactions. 3) The early atmosphere lacked oxygen but experiments show simple organic molecules could form from chemical reactions involving gases like methane and ammonia. 4) RNA may have been the first self-replicating molecule and could have catalyzed its own replication, in what is known as the RNA world hypothesis.

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    29 views5 pages

    When Did Life Begin?: The Origin and Evolutionary Processes of Life On Earth

    Uploaded by

    Katen Kyoukotsu
    1) Evidence suggests life arose on Earth as early as 3.85 billion years ago based on isotopic signatures in ancient rocks. 2) Early life was likely simple single-celled organisms that existed near hydrothermal vents and obtained energy through chemical reactions. 3) The early atmosphere lacked oxygen but experiments show simple organic molecules could form from chemical reactions involving gases like methane and ammonia. 4) RNA may have been the first self-replicating molecule and could have catalyzed its own replication, in what is known as the RNA world hypothesis.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 5

    The Origin and Evolutionary processes of Life on Living Fossils

    Earth •DNA used as living fossil


    •The more alike the DNA sequence between
    When did life begin? species, the more recent their divergence and
    extinction of their common ancestor
    •Quite early in Earth’s history • Bacteria and Archaea: genetic material NOT
    •Cannot pinpoint time, but can narrow down a time separated from rest of cell
    period with 3 lines of evidence – • Eukarya: DNA separated from rest of cell by
    membrane
    Three theories: • Extremophiles (live near deep-sea vents or in hot
    •Creation springs) closest to root of tree of life
    •Extraterrestrial origin (Panspermia)
    •Spontaneous Origin Where did life begin?
    • Land is unlikely
    • Stromatolites (3.5 bill. Yr) – Rocks with distinctive – No O2, no ozone: UV destroys molecular bonds
    layer structure • Shallow ponds
    • Look identical to living mats of microbes – Once favored, full of organic material
    – Layers of microbes and sediment – When evaporated, organic chemical concentration
    – Top layer uses photosynthesis increases making it easier to combine complex
    – Lower layers use top layer’s byproducts molecules leading to life
    – Current experiments indicate lack of chemical
    • Microfossils dating to 3.5 billion years ago energy sufficient to support life
    • Difficult to distinguish from mineral structures • Deep-sea vents/hot springs
    •Analysis shows that some structures contain – DNA evidence suggests that early organisms
    organic carbon survived in conditions similar to deep-sea vents
    -found in at least 3 sites – Plenty of chemical energy available

    • Evidence in metamorphic rocks that life existed How did life begin?
    3.85 billions years ago •Simplest organisms today and those dated 3.5
    • Low C12/C13 fraction in rock layers suggests life billion years ago are remarkable advanced
    – Biological processes prefer C12 to C13 •What are the natural chemical processes that could
    • Find lower fraction of C13 have led to life?
    – Non-biological processes have no preference, so •Assumptions
    find equal amounts – Life began under chemical conditions of early
    Earth
    • Rocks before ~4 billion years old are rare and hard – Life did not migrate to Earth
    to find
    • Time of heavy bombardment ended about 3.8-4.0 Organic Chemistry on Early Earth
    billion years ago •In 1920’s, scientists hypothesized that the
    – Last devastating impact between 4.2-3.9 bill. Yr chemicals in the early atmosphere, fueled by
    ago sunlight, would spontaneously create organic
    • Evidence suggests life as long as 3.85 billion years molecules
    ago and definitely at 3.5 billion years ago • Life rose •( Oparin’s Theory) – Early life on earth formed
    and dominated the planet between 100-500 million through a series of reactions that made simple
    years compounds gradually more complex.
    •Tested by Miller-Urey experiment 1950’s
    Miller-Urey Experiment •In 1980’s determined that RNA might catalyze their
    • First flask partially filled with water and heated to own replication instead of other enzymes
    produce water vapor (sea) •Early Earth was an RNA-world
    • Water vapor was moved to a second flask where
    methane and ammonia vapor was added Search for Replicating Molecule
    (atmosphere) • On Early Earth, short strands of RNA
    • Electric sparks (lightening) in second flask was -like molecules were produced spontaneously
    energy source for chemical reactions partially or completely
    • Below second flask, water vapor cooled (rain) and • RNA
    recycled to first flask (sea) -like molecules that could replicate faster with less
    • Result: turned brown with amino acids and other errors soon dominated population
    complex organic molecules • Copying errors introduced mutations, ensuring the
    production of many variations of successful
    Variations of Miller-Urey Experiment molecules
    •Different mixes of gases to represent atmosphere • Allowed molecular evolution to continue
    •Different energy sources, like UV (sunlight) • RNA-world gave way to DNA-world
    •Results: ALL PRODUCE AMINO ACIDS AND – DNA less prone to copying errors
    COMPLEX ORGANIC MOLECULES – DNA more flexible hereditary material
    – Not as much as original experiment – RNA kept some of its original functions
    – MUST be more sources of organic material
    Assembling Complex Organic Molecules
    Sources of Organic Molecules • Organic soup was too dilute to favor the creation
    •Chemical reactions in atmosphere of complex organic molecules
    – Lab experiments show this is likely • Lab experiment with possible solution: When hot
    •Organic material brought by impacts sand, clay or rock is placed in dilute organic solution,
    – Chemical analysis of comets and carbonaceous complex molecules self-assemble
    chondrites show that they have organic molecules – Organic molecules stick to surface of clay
    •Chemical reactions near deep-sea vents – Increases density and likelihood of reactions
    – Heat from undersea volcano can fuel chemical – Strands of RNA up to 100 bases have been
    reactions between water and minerals produced this way

    Transition from chemistry to biology Assembling Complex Organic Molecules


    •Organic molecules are building blocks of life. •Other inorganic minerals may have also had a
    •Low probability of forming life even if repeated similar role
    several times. •Iron pyrite (fool’s gold)
    •Intermediate steps of high probability are – Positive charges on surface which allows organic
    necessary molecules to adhere
    – Formation of pyrite releases energy which could
    Search for Self-Replicating Molecule be used as fuel for chemical reactions
    •Work backward from organisms that live today
    •DNA is double-stranded = complicated Early Cell-like Structures
    •RNA obvious candidate, more simple than DNA • Advantages to enclosing enzymes with RNA
    – Hereditary information molecules
    – Can serve as template for replication • Close proximity increases rate of reactions
    – Fewer steps to produce backbone structure between them
    • Isolate contents from outside world
    Search for Self-Replicating Molecule
    •Problem: RNA and DNA require enzymes to
    replicate
    Early Cell-like Structures •First organisms had simple metabolism
    •Lab experiments suggest that membrane •Atmosphere was O2 free, must have been
    structures existed on early Earth anaerobic
    •Form spontaneously •Probably chemoheterotrophs
    – Cool down warm-water solution of amino acids – Obtained nutrients from organic material
    – Mix lipids (fats) with water –Obtained nutrients from inorganic material
    •Modern archaea appear to be close to the root of
    Nonliving Pre-Cells have Lifelike Behavior the tree of life
    • Grow in size until unstable then split to form a •Obtaining energy from chemical reactions
    ‘daughter’ cell involving hydrogen, sulfur and iron compounds (all
    • Selectively allow other types of molecules to pass abundant on early Earth)
    in/out of membrane
    • Store energy in the form of electric voltage Early Evolution
    •Natural selection probably resulted in rapid
    Panspermia? diversification
    •Panspermia = life originated elsewhere and •Modern DNA has enzymes that reduce the rate of
    migrated to Earth mutations
    •Life began in rock, then kicked off the planet by an •RNA is not so lucky, more likely to have copying
    impact errors
    •Support: organic material is everywhere, and some •Higher mutation rate in early evolution than now
    bacteria can withstand large amounts of radiation
    and go dormant under low atmospheric conditions Photosynthesis
    Panspermia • Most important new metabolic process evolved
    •2 schools of thought gradually
    •School 1: life did not evolve as easily as imagined • Organisms that lived close to ocean surface
    on early Earth in timescales we’ve determined probably developed means of absorbing sunlight
    •Problem: entire solar system was under heavy (UV in particular)
    bombardment at the same time • Once absorbed, developed method of turning it
    •Other possibility: interstellar migration into energy
    •Problem: rock to be ejected out of its own system, – Modern organisms of purple sulfur bacteria and
    then fall into ours and hit the tiny planet of Earth green sulfur bacteria much like early photosynthetic
    microbes, use H2S instead of H2O for
    Panspermia photosynthesis
    •School 2: life evolved easily and was everywhere
    with suitable conditions Photosynthesis
    •Earth was not first planet with suitable conditions • Using water for photosynthesis developed later,
    •Migration of life from another planet (say Mars) perhaps 3.5 billion years ago
    dominated before early life on Earth could • First appearing in cyanobacteria (blue-green algae)
    – We’re Martians!!!! • By product of O2, released into atmosphere
    • Changed the world!
    Panspermia
    • Martian meteorites Rise of O2
    • Both have possible fossil evidence of life on Mars • O2 is highly reactive
    Living cyanobacteria Microfossils in carbonaceous • All initial O2 would react with rock and minerals in
    chondrites water
    • O2 could not accumulate in atmosphere until
    Early Evolution and Rise of O2 surface rock was saturated
    • Rocks 2-3 bill. Yr old called banded iron Colonization of Land
    formations, show atmosphere had <1% of current • DNA evidence suggests that plants evolved from
    amount of O2 an algae
    • Rock evidence suggests that O2 amounts in • It took only 75 mill. Yrs for animals to follow plants
    atmosphere began to rise about 2.0 bill. Yr ago out of water
    • Clear evidence of O2 near current levels appears
    only 200 million yr ago Mass Extinctions
    – Find charcoal (fossil fuel) •Possible Causes
    – Indicates enough O2 in atmosphere for fires to – Impacts
    burn •Impact sites found for K-T boundary
    •Suspected for Permian extinction 245 mill yr ago
    Rise of O2 – Active volcanism
    •Rise of O2 would have created a crisis for life •Climate change
    •O2 reacts with bonds of organic materials – External influence for copying errors
    •Surviving species avoided effects of O2 because •Increase in solar particles or radiation hitting
    they lived or migrated to underground locations surface
    – Many anaerobic microbes found in such locales •Local supernova
    today
    Primate Evolution
    Early Eukaryotes •Monkeys, apes, lemurs and humans have common
    • Fossil evidence dates to 2.1 bill. Yr ago ancestor that lived in trees
    • Dates to when O2 rising in atmosphere •Tree life
    • DNA evidence suggests that prokaryotes and – Limber arms for swinging between branches
    eukaryotes separated from common ancestor much – Eyes in front of head for depth perception
    earlier – Offspring would be born more helpless than other
    • O2 played a key role in eukaryote evolution animals
    – Cells can produce energy more efficiently using
    aerobic metabolism than anaerobic metabolism Emergence of Humans
    – Adaptations of aerobic organisms could develop •Did NOT evolve from gorillas or monkeys
    adaptations that required more energy that would •Share a common ancestor that lived just a few
    be available for anaerobic organisms million years ago
    •98% of human genome is identical to genome of
    The Cambrian Explosion the chimpanzee
    •Animal branch of the tree of life •2% difference in genome separates the success of
    •Different classifications based on body plan humans verses chimps
    •All known body plans made appearance in fossil – Also indicates evolution of intelligence is complex
    record in a time span of 40 million years
    – <1% of Earth’s age Emergence of Humans
    – Animal diversity began 543 mill. Yr ago • After hominids diverged from chimps and gorillas,
    evolution has followed a complex path
    Colonization of Land • Numerous hominids species existed, some during
    •Life flourished where liquid water exist the same time period
    •Life on land was more complicated – All humans are the same species
    – Had to develop means of collecting solar energy • First skull fossils that are identical to modern
    above ground and nutrients below human skulls dates to 100,000 yr old
    •Life in shallow ponds or edges of lakes • Our ancestors shared the Earth with Neanderthals
    – Water evaporates – Went extinct 35,000 years ago
    – Natural selection favored that which could
    withstand periods of drought
    Emergence of Humans
    Cultural and Technological Evolution
    • Have not undergone biological evolution in 40,000
    years
    – Mutation rates are slow
    • Dramatic cultural changes
    – Transmission of knowledge between generations
    • Spoken to written word, thousands of years
    agriculture
    • Technological evolution – Result of coupling
    between science and technology – About 100 years
    between industrial revolution to landing on the
    Moon and generating weapons of mass destruction

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