Lesson 3.

Earth's Timeline and

Emergence of Life

General Biology [1/2]

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Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
So far, Earth is the only planet known to support
life. The mere presence of life forms on Earth
sets it aside from the other known planets in the
universe.

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Scientists started to
formulate a series of
theories regarding the
emergence of life
forms on the planet
and relate it to the
physical changes on
Earth’s environment.
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How do primitive life forms
emerge?

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 Learning Competency
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to do the following:

● Describe general features of the history of life

on Earth, including generally accepted dates
and sequence of the geologic time scale and
characteristics of major groups of organisms
present during these time periods
(STEM_BIO11/12-IIIc-g-8).

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 Learning Objectives
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to do the following:

● Describe Earth’s geologic time scale.

● Identify theories on the emergence of life on

Earth.

● Enumerate early life forms present during the

primitive Earth.

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 Earth’s Geologic Time Scale

● Earth has been around for billions of years and the

way that scientists make an estimate is through the
geologic time scale.

● This refers to a system of dating the history of Earth

in a chronological manner using geological data.

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 Earth’s Geologic Time Scale

● The geologic time scale

reflects the entire geological
history of our planet.

● The geologic time scale is

divided into eons, eras,
periods, and epochs.

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What are the major events in
each part of the geologic
timescale?

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 Earth’s Geologic Time Scale

Eon Era Period Epoch

Phanerozoic Eon (542 MYA) Precambrian Eon (4 BYA)

means ‘visible life’ that was represents the period between the birth
constructed through rock units that of the planet and the appearance of life
bear abundant fossils. forms.

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 Earth’s Geologic Time Scale

Eon Era Period Epoch

Phanerozoic
Eon (542 MYA)

Precambrian
Eon (4 BYA)

Proterozoic Archean Hadean

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 Earth’s Geologic Time Scale

Eon Era Period Epoch

Phanerozoic
Eon (542 MYA)

Precambrian
Eon (4 BYA)

Proterozoic

Archean

Hadean
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 Earth’s Geologic Time Scale

Eon Era Period Epoch

Phanerozoic
Eon (542 MYA)

Precambrian
Eon (4 BYA)
Cenozoic era Mesozoic era Paleozoic era
Proterozoic is also known as is also known as is also known as
the ‘age of the ‘age of the ‘age of
Archean mammals reptiles’ invertebrates’

Hadean
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 Earth’s Geologic Time Scale

Eon Era Period Epoch

Phanerozoic
Eon (542 MYA) Cenozoic era

Precambrian
Eon (4 BYA)
Mesozoic era
Tertiary
Proterozoic Quaternary
Period
Period
mammals
Archean human evolution
Plaeozoic era diversity
Hadean
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 Earth’s Geologic Time Scale

Eon Era Period Epoch

Phanerozoic Cretaceous Period

Eon (542 MYA) Cenozoic era extinction of dinosaurs, first
primates, first flowering plants
Precambrian
Eon (4 BYA) Jurassic Period
Mesozoic era
first birds, dinosaurs diversity
Proterozoic

Archean
Plaeozoic era Triassic Period
Hadean first mammals, first dinosaurs
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 Earth’s Geologic Time Scale

Eon Era Period Epoch

Phanerozoic Permian
Eon (542 MYA) Cenozoic era
Carboniferous
Precambrian
Eon (4 BYA) Devonian
Mesozoic era
Proterozoic Silurian

Archean Ordovician
Paleozoic era
Hadean
Cambrian 16
 Earth’s Geologic Time Scale

Eon Era Period Epoch

Phanerozoic
Eon (542 MYA) Cenozoic era

Precambrian Epochs are the shortest subdivision

Eon (4 BYA) unit in the Earth’s geologic time
Mesozoic era scale that is characterized by the
Proterozoic changes in life forms and may vary
from continent to continent.
Archean
Plaeozoic era
Hadean
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Which time period is the most
important for the emergence of
diverse life forms on Earth?

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Tips

To recall the geologic periods from

oldest to most recent, just remember
the mnemonics “Can Old Senators
Demand Copious Power Than Junior
Congressmen? Tough Question!” The
first letter of each word represents
the first letter of each period in order.

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Tips

The periods in geological time scale

from oldest to most recent are
Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian,
Devonian, Carboniferous, Permian,
Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous,
Tertiary, Quaternary.

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How do you think scientists
tried to explain their early ideas
regarding the origin of life on
Earth?

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 Theories on the Origin of Life on Earth

spontaneous generation theory

Theories
regarding the
primordial soup theory
origin of life
on Earth

theory of panspermia

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 Theories on the Origin of Life on Earth

Spontaneous Generation

The experiment of Needham

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 Theories on the Origin of Life on Earth

Spontaneous Generation

Pasteur’s experiment disproved spontaneous generation.

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 Theories on the Origin of Life on Earth

Theory of Panspermia
● The theory of
panspermia
(exogenesis)
suggests that
building blocks of
life came from
another planet.
Origin of life on Earth according to the
panspermia theory 25
 Theories on the Origin of Life on Earth

Primordial Soup Theory

● Suggests that life started

in a primordial soup of
organic molecules.

● It tries to explain how

catalysts for nonliving
things became living cells.
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 Early Evidence of Life on Earth

● One of the earliest known

evidence of life on Earth
includes the stromatolite
fossils collected from
various samples of
metasedimentary rocks in
western Greenland and
were aged 3.7 billion years Stromatolite fossils on the
old. rock near the shore
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 Early Evidence of Life on Earth

● In 2015, fossils of the

microbial mat
(primitive microbial
colony) that may
represent potential
biotic life dated 4.1
billion-year-old were
collected in Western
Australia. Microbial colony-forming mats or
biofilms 28
Will modern-day organisms
emerge if speciation during the
Cambrian period did not occur?

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 Check Your Understanding

Write the word true if the given statement is correct

and false if otherwise.

1. Abiogenesis states that living organisms originate from

preexisting living organisms.
2. First life forms are believed to have emerged 3.7 billion
years ago.
3. The spontaneous generation theory is still considered
as a valid theory even today.
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 Check Your Understanding

Complete the table below by providing the important

events that happened during the given time period.
Period Events

Paleozoic Era (ancient life)

Cambrian

Ordovician

Silurian

Devonian

Carboniferous

Permian 31
 Check Your Understanding

Complete the table below by providing the important

events that happened during the given time period.
Period Events

Mesozoic Era (middle life)

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

Cenozoic Era (recent life)

Tertiary

Quaternary 32
 Let’s Sum It Up!

● The geologic time scale is divided into eons, eras,

periods, and epochs.

● Early theories regarding the origin of life on Earth

started during the 16th century in Europe. These
theories include the spontaneous generation
theory, primordial soup theory, and theory of
panspermia.
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 Let’s Sum It Up!

● The primordial soup theory suggests that life

started in a primordial soup of organic molecules.
It tries to explain how catalysts for nonliving
things became living cells from chemical
compounds abundant on early Earth.

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 Let’s Sum It Up!

● The theory of spontaneous generation states

the idea that life comes from lifeless or nonliving
material through a mysterious process.

● The theory of panspermia states that the

building blocks of life come from outside Earth.

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 Let’s Sum It Up!

● Present-day organisms share common ancestors

that evolved through time. First life forms are
believed to have emerged 3.7 billion years ago.

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 Let’s Sum It Up!

The geologic time scale of Earth

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Challenge Yourself

How did the development of

photosynthetic organisms lead to the
alteration of Earth’s atmosphere?

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Photo Credit

● Slide 23.: Panspermie by Silver Spoon Sokpop is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia
Commons.

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Bibliography

Johnson, G.B., and Raven, P.H. 2001. Biology: Principles & Explorations. Austin: Holt, Rinehart, and
Winston.

Klug, W.S., Spencer, C.A., and Cummings, M.R. 2016. Concepts of Genetics. Boston: Pearson.

Mader, S.S. 2014. Concepts of Biology. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.

Rakesh Kumar Rastogi. 2007. Concepts of Biology XII. New Delhi: Rastogi Publications.

Reece, J.B. and Campbell, N.A. 2011. Campbell Biology. Boston: Benjamin Cummings/Pearson.

Shri Hemant Roy. 2005.Comprehensive MCQs in Biology.New Delhi: Golden Bells.

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