The Beginning

of Life
Module in Earth and Life Science 11
Second Quarter

Original image by: Arnold Manoddom

CECILIA M. HOGGANG
Developer

Department of Education ● Cordillera Administrative Region

 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Cordillera Administrative Region
Schools Division of CAR
Wangal, La Trinidad, Benguet

Published by
Learning Resource Management and Development System

COPYRIGHT NOTICE
(2020)

Section 9 or Presidential Decree No. 49, series of 1972 provides:

“No copyright shall subsist in any work of the government of the

Philippines. However, prior approval of the government agency of office wherein
work is created shall be necessary for exploitation of such work for profit.”

This material has been developed for the implementation of K-12 Curriculum
through the Curriculum Implementation Division (CID) – Learning Resource
Management and Development Systems (LRMDS). It can be reproduced for
educational purposes and the source must be acknowledged. Derivatives of the works
including creating an edited version, an enhancement or a supplementary work are
permitted provided all original work is acknowledged and the copyright is attributed.
No work may be derived from this material for commercial purposes and profit.

ii
 PREFACE

This module is a project of the Curriculum Implementation Division particularly

the Learning Resource Management and Development Unit, Department of
Education, Schools Division of CAR, which is in response to the implementation of the
K-12 curriculum.

This Learning Material is a property of the Department of Education- CID,

Schools Division of CAR. It aims to improve students’ performance specifically in Earth
and Life Science 11.

Date of Development : June 2020

Resource Location : CAR- LRMS
Learning Area : Earth and Life Science
Grade Level : 11
Learning Resource Type : Module
Language : English
Quarter/Week : Q 2, W1
Learning Competency/Code : Explain the evolving concept of life based on
emerging pieces of evidence / S11/12LT-IIa-1

iii
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The developer wishes to give due credit to the following for their untiring support
in making this module possible:
Jane Dulawan, EPS- Science for her evaluation and support;
Rosa Humiwat, PSDS of Lamut district for her support in the making of this LR;
Honorio Pumihic, School Head of ITVHS for his encouragement and support;
Isabel U. Bongtiwon, Teacher-in-Charge for encouragement and technical
assistance;
Her husband Jun and children (Junile Kurt, Jess Angelo, Jean Rose Miriam) for
the inspiration and moral support;
The Almighty, the source of power, wisdom and knowledge and whose
outpouring mercy and grace led to the completion of this work.

DIVISION LRMS STAFF

SHAILA S. TAKINAN NANCY G. NALUNNE

Librarian-II PDO-II

JOVITA NAMINGIT
EPS-LRMDS

CONSULTANTS

MARCIANA AYDINAN, PhD

Chief, Curriculum Implementation Division

GERALDINE B. GAWI, EdD

OIC, Assistant Schools Division Superintendent

BENEDICTA B. GAMATERO
OIC- Schools Division Superintendent

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
Title Page ……………………………………………………………… i
Copyright Notice ………………………………………………………………... ii
Preface…………………………………………………………………………… iii
Acknowledgement…………………………………………………………......... iv
Table of contents………………………………………………………………… v
Title Page ………………………………………………………………………1
What I Need to Know ………………………………………………………2
What I Know ………………………………………………………………………3
What’s in ………………………………………………………………………6
What’s New ………………………………………………………………………6
What’s in It ………………………………………………………………………7
What More ………………………………………………………………………8
Activity 1 ………………………………………………………………9
Activity 2 ………………………………………………………………10
Activity 3 ………………………………………………………………11
What I Have Learned ………………………………………………………11
What I Can Do ……………………………………………………………... 12
Assessment…………………………………………………………………….….13
Additional Activity …………………………………………………………....... 16
Key Answers …………………………….……………………………………...... 17
References ………………………………………………………………………18
Feedback ………………………………………………………………………….19

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 The Beginning
of Life
Module in Earth and Life Science 11
Second Quarter

CECILIA M. HOGGANG
Developer

1
 What I Need to Know
This module is about the origin of Life — one of the most fascinating of all
subjects of enquiry. It is one of the most profound (and difficult) scientific questions
that we can address. But it is much more than that, for the answers we find to this
scientific question have a bearing on our own search for identity.

For the facilitator:

As the facilitator of this module, be a model, a leader, a referee, a peace builder,
a cheer leader and a prophet. Show by your words that you like and respect the learner
and be ready to hear his views. Set the agenda, keep the student focused while
following the ground rules and challenge the learner’s views positively. Be honest
about your own limitations. Allow the learner to speak his views. Encourage the learner
to continue learning until he is done with the module. Make it safe for the learner to
share viewpoints. Inspire and challenge the learner’s visions for a better future.

For the Learner:

Please keep this material neat and clean. Read every page thoroughly and
follow instructions in every activity carefully. All questions should be answered
independently in a separate sheet of paper. Be sure to compare your answers to the
KEY ANSWERS found near the last page only after you have answered the given
tasks. If you have questions and clarifications, feel free to as your teacher or your
facilitator.
After going through this module, you are expected to:
a. cite evidences on the beginning of life;
b. give the conditions that may have enabled life to evolve; and
c. explain the experiments performed by early scientists on the beginning of
life.

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 What I Know
Find out how much do you know about the topics in this module.

Direction: Choose the letter of the correct answer and write your answer on a separate
sheet of paper. All items must be answered. Take note of the items you missed to
answer correctly and find the correct answer as you go through this module.

1. The key to knowing how life appeared is knowing when life appeared. What can
you say about the statement?
A. It is true.
B. It is false.
C. It is either true or false.
D. none of the above

2. Why did it take millions of years for life to appear on earth after the planet had
formed?
A. It took millions of years for RNA to replace DNA.
B. The planet had warmed up enough to sustain life
C. The planet had cooled down enough to sustain life.
D. Life on Earth could begin only when seedlings arrived on our planet from
other worlds.

3. Charles Darwin is the first person to propose the idea of spontaneous generation.
What can you say about the statement?
A. It is true
B. It is false
C. It is either true or false
D. None of the above

4. What did the experiment of Francisco Redi prove?

A. Life forms can be generated from inanimate objects.
B. Life forms cannot be generated from inanimate objects
C. Maggots developed in the muslin-covered jars.
D. The spontaneous generation theory was true.

5. Who disproved the idea of spontaneous generation once and for all?
A. Aristotle
B. John Needham
C. Lazzaro Spallanzani
D. Louis Pasteur

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6. Which is not hypothesized by Alexander I. Oparin?
A. Energy of lightning and ultraviolet rays from the sun caused these gases
to combine and form chemical compounds.
B. The atmosphere of primitive earth contained gases like ammonia,
methane, hydrogen and water vapor
C. When chemical compounds mix with rain, they form complex organic
molecules which was similar to what living things are made of.
D. None of the above

7. What does abiogenesis mean?

A. It is the same thing as spontaneous generation.
B. It describes the emergence of life forms from nonliving chemical systems.
C. It is another name for natural selection
D. It describes the emergence of small organisms from mud.

8. What were the first living cells on Earth most likely are?
A. autotrophs
B. capable of photosynthesis
C. dependent on the oxygen in the atmosphere.
D. heterotrophs

9. Which is NOT a step in the emergence of life proposed by Oparin?

A. Lighting sparked chemical reactions among simple organic compounds in
the primordial soup.
B. Molecules began copying themselves, using other molecules in the
primordial soup as building blocks.
C. Photosynthesis supplied the oxygen necessary for self-copying molecules
to thrive and form membranes.
D. Self-copying molecules ate the primordial soup.

10. Stanley Miller and Harold Urey recreated Earth’s early atmosphere in a test tube.
Then they bombarded the chemical mixture with ultraviolet light and simulated
lightning. What were the results?
A. RNA molecules formed.
B. DNA molecules emerged.
C. Cell membranes had formed
D. Amino acids and other biological molecules were created.

11. Which of the following is essential to life?

A. energy source
B. essential chemicals
C. water
D. all of the three

12. All the elements below can combine to form proteins and nucleic acids. Which
does not belong to the group?
A. helium
B. hydrogen
C. nitrogen
D. water

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13. Which of the following does not explain why water is essential to life?
A. It is an excellent solvent.
B. Biological reactions take place in water
C. Life forms are usually made primarily of water.
D. None of the above

14. Why is energy required for life?

A. It is needed for growth, reproduction and response to stimuli
B. To put together chemicals that form an individual
C. Both A and B
D. None of the above

15. Why is temperature though not direct, essential for life?

A. Organisms need high temperature
B. Organisms need low temperature
C. Temperature allows water to be in liquid form
D. None of the above

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 Introduction to Life Science: The Beginning
of Life
What’s In?
Recall your previous lessons on life sciences, the branches of science that study
living things.

What are studied in life sciences?

Life sciences are the branches of science that study living things. A student who
studies the life sciences would be learning more about plants, animals, human beings
or even tiny microscopic organisms. Biology is the foundation of life sciences. It is
defined as the study of life and how living things survive and change. Because biology
covers so many aspects important to life, many scientists consider biology and life
sciences to be synonymous terms.

Some life sciences focus on a specific type of life. Zoology for example is the
study of animals while botany is the study of plants. Other life sciences focus on
aspects common to all or many life forms, such as anatomy and genetics. Yet other
fields are interested in technological advances involving living things, such as bio-
engineering. These technological advances in molecular biology and biotechnology
have led to burgeoning of specializations and interdisciplinary fields.

The life sciences are helpful in improving the quality and standard of life. They
have applications in health, agriculture, medicine, and the pharmaceutical and food
sciences industries.

What’s New?
After recalling some concepts on life sciences, you will now try to explain the
evolving concept of life based on emerging pieces of evidence.

The universe is about 4.6 billion years old. The formation of the Earth along
with other planets of our solar system is believed to have occurred some 4.5 billion
years ago. Life on Earth, however, probably began only between 3.5 and 4.5 billion
years ago.
How was life first formed?
___________________________________________________________________.
What conditions may have enabled the first forms of life to evolve?
___________________________________________________________________.

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 What’s in it?
Do you think you got the correct answers? Why do you say so? Read the
lesson below to find out the correct answers.

How did life on earth begin?

Bacteria have been the very first organisms to live on Earth. They made their
appearance 3 billion years ago in the waters of the first oceans. At first, there were
only anaerobic heterotrophic bacteria. The first autotrophic bacteria, very similar to the
current cyanobacteria, appeared approximately 2 billion years ago. Photosynthesis
occurred in these organisms and this is how the atmosphere was enriched with
precious oxygen. Cyanobacteria or blue algae made the primitive atmosphere
breathable and allowed life to colonize the lands above sea level.

Man has just recently become aware of the existence of bacteria because they
were too small to be observed or studied before the microscope was invented.

For some then the origin of life could be explained by the spontaneous
generation theory which states that life forms can be generated from inanimate
objects. This belief had been around since the time of Aristotle.

Francisco Redi was able to disprove the spontaneous generation theory when
he experimented by placing meat in all the jars, but covered four of the jars with
muslin. Maggots developed in the open jars but did not develop in the muslin-
covered jars.

In the late 1700’s, Lazaro Spallanzi likewise tried to disprove the spontaneous
generation theory by performing a controlled experiment with broth. He put broth
in flasks and sterilized them both by boiling the broth. One of the flasks was left
open to the air. The other flasks were sealed up to keep out any organisms that
might be floating in the air. Microorganisms developed only in the uncovered flask.
From this Spallanzi concluded that:
a. The microorganisms did not come from the broth but were in the air that
entered the flask.
b. Not even microorganisms came from nonliving things.

In 1953, Alexander I. Oparin, A Russian scientist hypothesized that the

atmosphere of primitive earth contained gases like ammonia, methane, hydrogen, and
water vapor. He explained that energy of lightning and ultraviolet rays from the sun

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caused these gases to combine and form chemical compounds. As they mixed with
rain and hot seas, they formed complex organic molecules which was similar to what
living things are made of.

An American scientist, Stanley I. Miller performed an experiment using a

mixture of the gases suggested by Oparin. He introduced electrical sparks into the
mixture. After a few days, molecules similar to amino acids that are found in all living
things were formed. His experiment proved that the first organic molecules could have
been formed from the primitive earth. Living cells may have arisen on early earth
through a series of chemical combinations of these organic compounds.

The Cellular Basis of Life

The study of the cellular basis of life has started when Robert Hooke first
observed tiny compartments in a sliced piece of cork from a mature tree. He gave
them the Latin name cellulae (meaning small rooms) hence the origin of the biological
term “cell”. By 1839, the zoologist Theodor Schwann reported the presence of cells in
animal tissues.
Cytology is the study of cells. All living things are made up of cells. Life starts from
a cell- a fertilized egg or a zygote. A zygote divides into two and each newly formed
cell subdivides. Further divisions form a multitude of cells which organize into tissues,
tissues into organs and organs into organ systems.

Liquid water is essential because biochemical reactions take place in water.

Life as we know contains specific combinations of elements including carbon,
hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen that combine to form proteins and nucleic acids which
can replicate genetic code. All the basic elements are formed in stars and distributed
throughout space as a result of giant explosions called supernovas. Since these
essential chemicals are quite common in other places in the Universe we can expect
that the development of life somewhere else is also possible.

Organisms require energy to assimilate or put together the chemicals that form
an individual. Energy is also required for the organism to grow, reproduce, and
respond to the environment. Energy sources may include other organisms, light, or
inorganic compounds. The most common source of energy on the Earth is
photosynthesis, which transforms sunlight into food. This process will not work very
well for the outer Solar System, because not much light reaches such great distances.

What’s More?
In the notes above, you were able to understand how life on earth began. Now you
Activity
are going to check your understanding 1 concepts you have learned. Go to the
of the
activity on the next page.

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Activity 1: Life on Earth

Instruction: Analyze the pictures below. Look for evidences of life and answer the
assessment at the next page.

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Assessment 1: Complete the table by writing the timeline on the first column and
the evidence on the evolution of life in the second column. Use a separate sheet for
your answer. A sample answer is given for you.

Timeline Pieces Of Evidence On The Evolution Of Life

4 to 3.7 billion yrs. ago Microbes were seen

Activity 2: Ingredients Needed for Life

Direction: The statements below are either conditions which enable life to evolve or
not. Write positive if the statement supports life and negative if it does not. Write
your answer on a separate sheet of paper.

1. Liquid water supports life. It is necessary for many chemical reactions to happen.
2. Essential chemicals and energy support life. Energy can either be in light or
chemical form. Both forms fuel the metabolic reactions that allow life to
reproduce.
3. The main source of energy is food.
4. Organisms can live with just water for a very long time even without the other
conditions.
5. Liquid water, essential chemicals and energy source are the most important
ingredients of life.

Questions:
1. Which of the statements above are positive? Which ones are negative?
Explain why.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________.
2. What conditions enable life to evolve?
______________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________.

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Activity 3: Experiments Performed by Early Scientists on the Beginning of Life
Direction: You are a tutor of a classmate who has been absent for three days and
missed the lesson on the experiments performed by early scientists on the beginning
of life. How will you explain to him in your own words? Write your explanation on your
answer sheet.
.
1. Aristotle’s Spontaneous Theory
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________.
2. Francisco Redi’s experiment
_______________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________.
3. Lazaro Spallanzi’s experiment
________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________.

What I Have Learned

Provide what is asked for in the following questions to check your

understanding of the concepts that you have learned. Use the
words below. Write your answer on your answer sheet.

Maggots spontaneous
Lazaro Spallanzani Stanley I. Miller
Alexander Oparin

1. The _______________ generation theory states that life forms can be

generated from inanimate objects.

2. Francisco Redi experimented on meat in jars. ___________ developed in the

open jars but did not develop in the muslin- covered jars.

3. _________________ experiment proved that microorganisms did not come

from the broth nor nonliving things.

4. He hypothesized that the atmosphere of primitive earth contained gases lie

ammonia, methane, hydrogen and water vapor. _________

5. _____________ performed an experiment using a mixture of the gases by

Oparin and introduced electrical sparks into the mixture.

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 What I Can Do
Were you able to answer the activities correctly? I’m sure you did. Now you
will apply the concepts you learned to real life situations.

Direction: Answer the following question on a separate sheet of paper. After

answering, read the information below for you to have additional knowledge.

How important is the study of the beginning of life? List down at least three importance.
You can read the information below to gain knowledge.
1. ______________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________.
2. ______________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________.
3. ______________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________.

The study of the life sciences lends important insights into disease processes,
and allows the development of novel therapeutics and innovative medical devices,
thereby directly improving human health. The study of life also enables an
understanding of the environment and the other living species with whom we share
the earth; this knowledge guides conservation efforts and literally helps us to save our
shared planet.
The study of life empowers us to answer fundamental questions about
ourselves – Where did we come from? What are we made of? What is the basis for
the miracle of our existence? What is our place in the natural world, in the tree of life?
We have learned that we are all part of the human family, sharing the same
basic genetic material. Indeed, we are not just the stuff that dreams are made on, we
are the stuff that DNA is made on.

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 Assessment

Now that you understood the topic better, you are now ready to answer the
following assessment.

Direction: Choose the letter of the correct answer and write your answer on a separate
sheet of paper. All items must be answered. Take note of the items you missed to
answer correctly and find the correct answer in the answer key.

1. The spontaneous generation theory states that life forms can be generated from
inanimate objects. What can you say about the statement?
A. It is true.
B. It is false.
C. It is either true or false.
D. None of the above

2. Why did it take millions of years for life to appear on Earth after the planet had
formed?
A. The planet had cooled down enough to sustain life.
B. The planet had warmed up enough to sustain life.
C. Life on Earth could begin only when seedlings arrived on our planet from
other worlds.
D. It took millions of years for RNA to replace DNA.

3. Is Aristotle the first person to propose the idea of spontaneous generation?

A. Yes, he is.
B. No, he isn’t
C. He is partly the proponent of the spontaneous generation.
D. He did not propose any.

4. Why did Anaximander decide that humans descended from fish more than 2,000
years ago?
A. fish offspring are born ready to survive on their own.
B. fish skeletons were strikingly similar to human skeletons.
C. the way that fish mothers care for their young is similar to how human
parents care for their young.
D. this was a natural progression since it was already demonstrated that small
living organisms came from the nonliving mud at the bottom of the sea.

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5. Who made use of broth in his experiment to disprove the idea of spontaneous
generation once and for all?
A. Aristotle
B. John Needham
C. Lazaro Spallanzani
D. Louis Pasteur

6. Which is considered as a hypothesis of Alexander I. Oparin?

A. Energy of lightning and ultraviolet rays from the sun caused these gases to
combine and form chemical compounds.
B. The atmosphere of primitive earth contained gases like ammonia,
methane, hydrogen and water vapor
C. When chemical compounds mix with rain, they form complex organic
molecules which was similar to what living things are made of.
D. All of the above

7. It is the most reactive element which combine with oxygen to form water.
A. carbon
B. hydrogen
C. nitrogen
D. sulfur

8. Which is the best meaning of abiogenesis?

A. It describes the emergence of life forms from nonliving chemical systems.
B. It is another name for natural selection
C. It means the same thing as spontaneous generation.
D. It describes the emergence of small organisms from mud.

9. How do you describe the first living cells on Earth?

A. They were autotrophs.
B. They were capable of photosynthesis
C. They were heterotrophs
D. They were dependent on the oxygen in the atmosphere.

10. Which is the first step in the emergence of life proposed by Oparin?
A. Lighting sparked chemical reactions among simple organic compounds in
the primordial soup.
B. Molecules began copying themselves, using other molecules in the
primordial soup as building blocks.
C. Photosynthesis supplied the oxygen necessary for self-copying molecules
to thrive and form membranes.
D. Self-copying molecules ate the primordial soup.

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11. All of the following are essential to life except one. Which one?
A. carbon monoxide
B. energy source
C. essential chemicals
D. water

12. Which of the elements below is the most essential for human beings?
A. hydrogen
B. nitrogen
C. oxygen
D. sodium

13. What makes liquid water essential for life?

A. It is an excellent solvent
B. Biological reactions take place in water
C. Life forms are usually made primarily of water.
D. All of the above

14. Energy is required for life for what reason?

A. To put together chemicals that form an individual
B. It is needed for growth, reproduction and response to stimuli
C. Energy sources may include other organisms, light, or organic compounds
D. All of the above

15. Why is temperature needed for life?

A. Organisms need low temperature
B. Organisms need high temperature
C. Temperature allows water to be in liquid form
D. None of the above

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 Additional Activity
This is an activity that will strengthen your knowledge about the
lesson on the beginning of life

Direction: supply the blanks with the right word. Choose from the listed words below.

salts acids solvent

Organisms inorganic organic lipids
Carbohydrates proteins nucleic

The two main classes of compounds found in _______________ are organic

and ___________________ compounds. The _________________ compounds
contain the element carbon while the inorganic compounds rarely contains it.

The inorganic compounds found in living systems are of four main types,
namely ___________, bases, ____________ and water. Water is the most
abundant and considered a universal _______________. The four main classes of
organic compounds are _______________, _____________, ______________,
and _____________ acids.

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 17
• 1. organisms • Activity 1
• 2. inorganic • 1. 4 to 3.7 billion yrs- microbes were seen
• 3. organic • 2. 4.6 billion yrs ago- origin from swirling disk of gas
• 4. acids • 3. abt. 1.3 billion yrs ago- milticelled organisms appeared
• 5. salts • 4. 415-375 million yrs ago- first plants, insects and vertebrated
were seen
• 6. solvent
• 5. 250 million yrs ago- formation of Pangea
• 7. carbohydrates
• mass extinction of species
• 8. proteins
• 6. 230 million yrs ago-age of dinosaurs
• 9. lipids
• 7. 200 million yrs. ago- Giant continents begin to brake apart
• 10. nucleic
• 8. 65 yrs ago- end of the ag of dinosaurs
• 9. 28 million yrs ago- apes appeared
• 10. 8-6 million yrs ago- humans appeared
• Activity 2
• 1. Positive Question 2- liquid water
• 2. Positive essential chemicals
• 3. Negative energy
• 4. negative
• 5. positive
• Activity 3
• Answer varies depending on the learners
Additional Activity What’s More
• 1. A • 1. A • 1. Spontaneous
• 2. C • 2. A • 2. maggots
• 3. B • 3. A • 3. Lazaro Spallangani
• 4. B • 4. D • 4. Alexander Oparin
• 5. C • 5. C • 5. Stanley I. Miller
• 6. D • 6. D
• 7. B • 7. B
• 8. A • 8. A
• 9. D • 9. A
• 10.B • 10 A
• 11.D • 11. A
• 12. A • 12. C
• 13. D • 13. D
• 14. C • 14. D
• 15. C • 15. C
What I Know Assessment What I have learned
Answer Key
 References

Charles Q. Choi. “7 Theories on the Origin of Life”, accessed on June 24, 2020
www.livescience.com

Eniscuola. “The first organisms”, accessed on July 25, 2020. http://www.eniscuola.net

en/argomento bacteria/bacteria-knowledge/the-first-organisms/

Lilia M. Rabago, Functional Biology, Phoenix Pub. House, Inc., 2005

Gloria G. Salandanan, Merle B. Lopez, Ruben E. Falcado. Earth and Life Science for
Senior High School, Quezon City, Metro Manila, LORIMAR PUBLISHING, INC (2016)
pp.86-91
.

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For Inquiries or feedback, please write or call:
Department of Education- Schools Division of CAR
Wangal, La Trinidad, Benguet
Telefax:
Email Address:

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