ORGIN OF LIFE THEORY

11– Amiability | Kubota, Mayumi B.

WHAT IS ORGIN OF LIFE
THEORIES?

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"Orgin of life theory" refers to
the evolution of life on Earth,
which is one of the most
fundamental question in
science, And stands as one of
the greatest mysteries. There
are various different theories
and hypotheses that attempt to
explain how life first emerged
and evolved on our planet.

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THEORIES ON HOW LIFE
EMERGED AND EVOLVED

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 Abiogenesis
• In biology, abiogenesis or the origin of life is the natural
process by which life has arisen from non-living matter,
such as simple organic compounds. The prevailing
scientific hypothesis is that the transition from non-
living to living entities on Earth was not a single event,
but a process of increasing complexity involving the
formation of a habitable planet, the prebiotic synthesis
of organic molecules, molecular self-replication, self-
assembly, autocatalysts , and the emergence of cell
membranes. Many proposals have been made for
different stages of the process, but the transition from
non-life to life has never been observed experimentally.

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 Panspermia
• The panspermia hypothesis states that the seeds of life
exist all over the universe and can be propagated
through space from one location to another. For
millennia, this idea has been a topic of philosophical
debate. However, due to lack of any validation, it
remained merely speculative until few decades ago. It is
only with the recent discoveries and advances from
different fields of research that panspermia has been
given serious scientific consideration. Most of the major
barriers against the acceptance of panspermia have
been demolished when it has been shown that
microorganisms can survive the high impact and
velocity experienced during the ejection from one
planet, the journey through space, and the impact
process onto another world.
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 Creationism
• Creationism is the belief that life was created by a
higher power or divine intervention. It is often
associated with religious beliefs, especially those of the
Abrahamic faiths, such as Judaism, Christianity, and
Islam.

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 Hydrothermal Vent
Hypothesis
• The hydrothermal vent hypothesis is a scientific theory
that suggests that life on Earth may have originated at
hydrothermal vents, also known as black smokers,
located deep beneath the ocean floor. These
hydrothermal vents are regions where superheated
water emerges from the Earth's crust and creates a
unique environment for the growth of microorganisms.

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 Clay hypothesis
• According to this hypothesis, the origin of life was aided
by the unique properties of clay, which is a type of
mineral that contains water and is able to absorb and
hold organic molecules that could have been involved
in the formation of life.

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WHERE DID LIFE ON EARTH
BEGIN?

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 • Where did life on Earth begin?
• Two possibilities are in volcanically active hydrothermal
environments on land and at sea.
• Some microorganisms thrive in the scalding, highly
acidic hot springs environments like those found today
in Iceland, Norway and Yellowstone National Park. The
same goes for deep-sea hydrothermal vents. These
chimney-like vents form where seawater comes into
contact with magma on the ocean floor, resulting in
streams of superheated plumes. The microorganisms
that live near such plumes have led some scientists to
suggest them as the birthplaces of Earth’s first life
forms.

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WHEN DID LIFE ON EARTH
BEGIN?

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 • When did life on Earth begin?
• Earth is about 4.5 billion years old. Scientists think that
by 4.3 billion years ago, Earth may have developed
conditions suitable to support life. The oldest known
fossils, however, are only 3.7 billion years old. During
that 600 million-year window, life may have emerged
repeatedly, only to be snuffed out by catastrophic
collisions with asteroids and comets.
• The details of those early events are not well preserved
in Earth’s oldest rocks. Some hints come from the oldest
zircons, highly durable minerals that formed in magma.
Scientists have found traces of a form of carbon—an
important element in living organisms—in one such 4.1
billion-year-old zircon. However, it does not provide
enough evidence to prove life’s existence at that early
date.

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QUIZ

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• 1. Which theory suggests that life emerged from a • 2. Which is NOT a possible explanation for the origin of
chemical reaction between organic molecules in a life on Earth?
"primordial soup"?
• a. An alien civilization seeding life on Earth
• a. Abiogenesis
• b. Creationism
• b. Creationism
• c. Panspermia
• c. Hydrothermal vent hypothesis
• d. Hydrothermal vent hypothesis
• d. Panspermia

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• 3. Which theory suggests that life on Earth was created • 5. Which is known to be a mineral that contains water
by a higher power or divine intervention? and is able to absorb and hold organic molecules that
could have been involved in the formation of life?
• a. Abiogenesis
• a. Limestone
• b. Creationism
• b. Clay
• c. Hydrothermal vent hypothesis
• c. Shale
• d. Panspermia
• d. Marble
• 4. Which theory proposes that life emerged at
hydrothermal vents located deep beneath the ocean
floor?
• a. Abiogenesis
• b. Creationism
• c. Hydrothermal vent hypothesis
• d. Panspermia

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ANSWERS

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• Solution:
• 1. A
• 2. A
• 3. B
• 4. B
• 5. D

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 THANK 11 - AMIABILITY
KUBOTA, MAYUMI B.

YOU!

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