SIMPLE IDEA OF CHEMICAL EVOLUTION
SUBMITTED BY:
BUSHRA ISLAM
CLASS 11 (SCIENCE)
ROLL NO: 13
INTRODUCTION
• Chemical Evolution refers to the formation of complex organic
molecules from simpler inorganic compounds through chemical
reactions in the early stages of Earth’s history..
It is considered the first step toward the origin of life, leading
to the development of self-replicating molecules and
eventually living cells.
This theory provides a scientific explanation for how life may
have started without any biological precursor, purely through
natural processes.
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WHAT IS CHEMICAL EVOLUTION?
• Chemical evolution is the gradual formation of complex
chemical compounds from simpler substances on the
primitive Earth.
• It involves:
• Formation of organic molecules like amino acids, sugars, and
nucleotides.
• Assembly of these molecules into macromolecules such as
proteins and nucleic acids.
• It is a pre-biological process, meaning it occurred before life
existed.
• This concept bridges the gap between non-living chemistry
and the emergence of life.
THE ORIGIN OF LIFE – SCIENTIFIC VIEWS
•Life is believed to have originated around 3.5 to 4 billion years ago on the
primitive Earth.
•Scientists believe that life did not appear suddenly, but gradually evolved
from non-living molecules.
•Key stages in this process:
•Formation of simple inorganic molecules
•Conversion into organic compounds
•Development of self-replicating systems
•This progression is called the chemical evolution of life.
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THE MILLER-UREY
EXPERIMENT
•In 1953, scientists Stanley Miller and
Harold Urey conducted a famous
experiment to test Oparin and
Haldane’s theory.
•They recreated the conditions of
early Earth in a laboratory setup:
•Gases: Methane (CH₄), Ammonia
(NH₃), Hydrogen (H₂), Water Vapour
• (H₂O)
•Energy source: Electric sparks to
simulate lightning
•After a week, they found amino acids
had formed — the building blocks of
life.
•This experiment strongly supported
the chemical origin of life theory.
THE PRIMORDIAL SOUP THEORY
Proposed by Oparin and Haldane, this Energy from UV radiation, lightning, and
theory suggests: volcanic activity triggered complex
reactions.
Early Earth’s oceans were rich in organic
molecules formed by chemical reactions. Over time, these organic molecules
accumulated and interacted, eventually
This mixture is referred to as a
giving rise to life.
“primordial soup.”
The ocean acted as a natural laboratory
for chemical evolution.
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TRANSITION FROM
CHEMICAL TO
BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION
Once photocells formed:
Self-replication and mutation
began
Led to natural selection at the
molecular level
This marked the shift from
chemical evolution to
biological evolution.
RNA WORLD HYPOTHESIS
This hypothesis suggests that RNA was the first self-
replicating molecule before DNA and proteins.
RNA can:
Store genetic information (like DNA)
Catalyze reactions (like enzymes)
Early Earth conditions may have led to the
spontaneous formation of short RNA chains.
These molecules could have formed simple
protocells, paving the way for life.
RNA World theory helps explain the transition from
chemistry to biology.
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FORMATION OF ORGANIC
MOLECULES
In the early Earth’s atmosphere, simple gases like methane,
ammonia, hydrogen, and water vapor were abundant.
Under the influence of energy sources (UV rays, lightning),
these gases formed:
Amino acids
Sugars
Fatty acids
Nitrogenous bases
These organic molecules are the basic building blocks of life.
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ROLE OF ATMOSPHERE IN
CHEMICAL EVOLUTION
• The early Earth’s atmosphere was reducing
(rich in hydrogen, lacking oxygen).
• A reducing environment is essential for:
• Synthesis of organic molecules
• Preventing oxidation of formed
compounds
• This atmosphere enabled the formation
and preservation of prebiotic molecules.
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MODERN CELL STRUCTURE AND
EVOLUTION
• Over time, complex cells evolved:
• Prokaryotic cells (simple, like bacteria)
• Later, eukaryotic cells (complex, with
nucleus)
• Life diversified through genetic
variation and evolution over billions of
years.
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IMPORTANCE OF WATER IN EARLY EARTH
• Water bodies (oceans, ponds) played a major role:
• Acted as a medium for chemical reactions
• Provided thermal stability
• Supported accumulation of organic molecules
• Evaporation-condensation cycles helped in
concentrating compounds.
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EVIDENCE SUPPORTING CHEMICAL EVOLUTION
Fossils of ancient microbes (~3.5 billion
years old)
Miller-Urey experiment findings
Meteorites containing amino acids
Lab synthesis of RNA-like molecules
under early Earth conditions
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RELEVANCE IN TODAY’S SCIENTIFIC
RESEARCH
• Chemical evolution is the foundation of modern origin-of-life
research.
• Important in fields like:
• Molecular biology
• Biochemistry
• Astrobiology
• Synthetic biology
• Understanding how life starts helps in:
•Creating artificial life
•Designing bio-inspired machines
•Studying diseases at the cellular level
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APPLICATIONS IN ASTROBIOLOGY
• Used by NASA and ESA to explore if life could Simulations of early Earth
start on planets like: guide:
• Mars Search for biosignatures
• Europa (moon of Jupiter)
Lab experiments mimicking alien
• Titan (moon of Saturn) environments
• Helps define the conditions required for life on
exoplanets. Supports the idea that life may
exist elsewhere and evolve
chemically like on Earth.
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FORMATION OF PROTOCELLS
• Organic molecules eventually organized into microscopic bubbles or protocells.
• Protocells had:
• A lipid membrane-like boundary
• An internal chemical environment
• They showed basic life-like properties, like:
• Molecular interaction
• Growth and division (non-living but structured)
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TRANSITION FROM CHEMICAL TO
BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION
Once protocells formed:
Self-replication and mutation began
Led to natural selection at the
molecular level
This marked the shift from chemical
evolution to biological evolution.
CRITICISMS AND LIMITATIONS
• Uncertainty of early Earth conditions:
• We cannot perfectly recreate the exact environment from billions of years ago.
• Complexity of biomolecule formation:
• Experiments show basic molecules can form, but not full DNA, enzymes, or living cells.
• Alternative theories exist:
• Panspermia Theory: Life came from space via meteorites.
• Deep-sea hydrothermal vents: Some scientists suggest life began under oceans.
• Time scale is debated:
• No exact timeline exists for the transition from non-living to living systems.
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CONCLUSION
• Chemical evolution shows how life might have formed naturally on Earth.
• It connects non-living molecules to living systems — a vital link in evolutionary
biology.
• Though questions remain, it inspires:
• Continued research
• Interdisciplinary science
• New frontiers in space exploration
• It’s a theory that bridges chemistry, biology, and astronomy beautifully.
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REFERENCES
• (Well-formatted and credible)
• Miller, S. L. & Urey, H. C. (1953). Production of amino acids under
primitive Earth conditions.
• Oparin, A. I. (1924). The Origin of Life. Moscow: Moskovskii Rabochii .
• Haldane, J. B. S. (1929). The Origin of Life. Rationalist Annual.
• NASA Astrobiology Institute. [Link]
• Alberts, B. et al. (2015). Molecular Biology of the Cell. Garland Science.
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