THE

CONCEPT
OF LIFE
How did life begin? Where did
come from?
 The Concept of
Life
Earth’s age: 4.5 billion years old
based on the radioactive decay
studies of life
How life could have
begun?

• There are no witnesses to the

origin of life.
• Possible explanations attempt to
provide different possibilities
how life could have begun
Devine Creation
• It was believed that life on earth was
put by divine forces.
• Creation theories are common to
many of the world’s religion and
culture.
Extraterrestrial
Origin
• The hypothesis that explains life
originated on another planet outside
the solar system.
• Life was then carried on Earth on a
meteorite or asteroid and colonized
the earth.
Panspermia
• The theory presumes that the seed of
life exists all over the universe and
can be propagated through space, and
that life on Earth originated from
seeds
Abiogenesis

• Supporters:
• Rene Descartes
• Galileo
• Epicurus
• Von Helmont
Abiogenesis

• What they believe:

• Insects arise from dew
• Fish and frog from mud
• Maggots from meat
Origin from Non-
living Matter
• Scientist believed that life arose on
Earth from inanimate matter after
Earth had cooled.
• They stated that random events
probably produced stable molecules
that could self replicate.
Origin from Non-
living Matter
• Natural selection favored changes in
the rate of reproduction, which
eventually led to first cell.
Biogeochemical Theory

• 1920
• Aleksandr Oparin and John Haldane
• It served as the basis for Miller-Urey
experiment
Biogeochemical Theory
• Earth’s primitive atmosphere was conducive for creation of
organic molecules
• Lacked oxygen, but rich in carbon dioxide, carbon
monoxide, hydrogen, and nitrogen
• But has the driving force being the ample supply of
energy provided by UV light and lightning
• Starts with abiotic synthesis or small organic molecules
• Followed by conjugation to form more complex
molecules
Miller-Urey Experiment

• Stanley Miller, American Chemist

• Performed an experiment replicating the early
Earth conditions
• Harold Urey
• provided proof that amino acids and other
organic molecules can be formed
Miller-Urey Experiment

• The atmosphere introduced into the flask

contained simple molecules that were
probably present in the primitive atmosphere.
• hydrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, water
vapor, nitrogen, ammonia, and carbon
monoxide.
Miller-Urey Experiment

• The mixture was heated and zapped it with

electrical sparks to simulate lightning.
• Dark and smelly mixture was developed
Miller-Urey Experiment
• Complex molecule was formed.
• Amino acids and building blocks of proteins
• Miller and other scientist combined starting
molecules were able to generate complex
molecules
• amino acids, RNA and DNA nucleotides,
lipids, carbohydrates and adenosine
triphosphate (ATP)
 How did the first cells
form?
• Cell membrane which contains lipids is
the crucial feature that separates the cell
from its environment
• Scientists think that formation of tiny
spheres of lipids may have been the first
stage in the origin of the cell.
 How did the first cells
form?
• Coacervates
• These are bubbles formed when lipids
mixed with water
• Contained double layered membranes
similar to lipid bilayer of the cell
membrane
 How did the first cells
form?
• Coacervates
• It was believed that early oceans might
have contained numerous small lipids
coacervates that formed and eventually
dispersed
 How did the first cells
form?
• Coacervates
• are unable to obtain energy from
materials found in their environment
• Then, they might have developed these
capabilities and were able to transfer
these to other coacervates
 How did the first cells
form?
• Coacervates that floated in the oceans
joined together forming larger molecules
• Larger molecules reacted with each other
forming more complex structure that could
replicate.
• These molecules developed into cell-like
structures that eventually became the first
true cells
 How did the first cells
form?
• Scientist believe that the first true cells are
prokaryotes
• Prokaryotes are organisms whose cells
have no nucleus.
• 1st prokaryotes are anaerobic
• Anaerobic are organisms does not need
oxygen to survive
 How did the first cells
form?
• Organisms that need oxygen could not
have survived because Earth lacked free
oxygen.
• Many anaerobic prokaryotes still live on
Earth today in places where there is no
free oxygen.