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Origins Of Life

Subject : science

Instructions:

Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
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Match each statement with the correct term.
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This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.

1. What was the deep-sea vent hypothesis?
Droplets that form spontaneously from the association of charged polymers. Enzymes trapped inside can perform primitive metabolic functions.
Biologically important molecules may have been formed in the temperature gradient between extremely hot vent water and cold ocean water.
On clay.
Cell specialization (e.g. - somatic and reproductive cells) - bigger (e.g. - to avoid predation) - more efficient at utilizing resources.

2. About how long ago did life first appear?
Archean eon.
3.8-3.5 billion years ago
4-3.5 billion years ago
Two prokaryotic cells living symbiotically and merging OR one prokaryote engulfing a smaller one in an endosymbiotic relationship (data supports this one).

3. Around when did multicellular eukaryotic organisms first appear?
Boundary separated external environment from internal contents. Polymers inside the protobiont contained information. Polymers inside the protobiont had enzymatic function. Protobionts capable of self-replication.
1.5 billion years ago
Archean eon.
Genetic changes and/or Environmental changes

4. What is chemical selection?
One of the RNA molecules mutates and has enzymatic ability to attach nucleotides together. A second mutation produces enzymatic ability to synthesize nucleotides.
Biologically important molecules may have been formed in the temperature gradient between extremely hot vent water and cold ocean water.
Preserved remains of past life on Earth
A chemical within a mixture of different chemicals has special properties or advantages that cause it to increase in number compared to other chemicals in the mixture.

5. What was the 3rd of the overlapping stages in the origin of life?
Polymers became enclosed in membranes
Nucleotides and amino acids became polymerized to form DNA - RNA and proteins
13.7 billion years
On clay.

6. Name 4 characteristics of protobionts.
Cells and organization - energy use and metabolism - response to environmental changes - regulation and homeostasis - growth and development - reproduction - biological evolution
Atmospheric water vapor - methane - hydrogen - and ammonia catalyzed by lightning formed precursor molecules. This was tested in the Miller/Urey experiment.
Boundary separated external environment from internal contents. Polymers inside the protobiont contained information. Polymers inside the protobiont had enzymatic function. Protobionts capable of self-replication.
3.8-3.5 billion years ago

7. What are fossils?
Cell specialization (e.g. - somatic and reproductive cells) - bigger (e.g. - to avoid predation) - more efficient at utilizing resources.
Biologically important molecules may have been formed in the temperature gradient between extremely hot vent water and cold ocean water.
Individuals form a colony OR a single cell divides and stays stuck together.
Preserved remains of past life on Earth

8. About how old is the earth?
4.55 billion years
A chemical within a mixture of different chemicals has special properties or advantages that cause it to increase in number compared to other chemicals in the mixture.
4-3.5 billion years ago
Metabolism and other cellular functions. Proteins have a greater catalytic potential and efficiency. Proteins can perform other tasks - cytoskeleton - transport - etc.

9. Prokaryotic life arose during what eon?
Nucleotides and amino acids became polymerized to form DNA - RNA and proteins
A chemical within a mixture of different chemicals has special properties or advantages that cause it to increase in number compared to other chemicals in the mixture.
Archean eon.
Individuals form a colony OR a single cell divides and stays stuck together.

10. What are fossils?
Metabolism and other cellular functions. Proteins have a greater catalytic potential and efficiency. Proteins can perform other tasks - cytoskeleton - transport - etc.
Preserved remains of past life on Earth
4-3.5 billion years ago
Cell specialization (e.g. - somatic and reproductive cells) - bigger (e.g. - to avoid predation) - more efficient at utilizing resources.

11. What are the seven characteristics of life?
Cells and organization - energy use and metabolism - response to environmental changes - regulation and homeostasis - growth and development - reproduction - biological evolution
Genetic changes and/or Environmental changes
Polymers became enclosed in membranes
It is not possible because hydrolysis competes with polymerization.

12. What was the deep-sea vent hypothesis?
3.8-3.5 billion years ago
Polymers enclosed in membranes acquired cellular properties.
Polymers enclosed in membranes acquired cellular properties.
Biologically important molecules may have been formed in the temperature gradient between extremely hot vent water and cold ocean water.

13. What is a Protobiont?
Atmospheric water vapor - methane - hydrogen - and ammonia catalyzed by lightning formed precursor molecules. This was tested in the Miller/Urey experiment.
An aggregate of prebiotically produced molecules and macromolecules that acquired a boundary - such as a lipid bilayer - that allowed it to maintain an internal chemical environment distinct from that of its surroundings.
2.5-2.0 billion years ago
A chemical within a mixture of different chemicals has special properties or advantages that cause it to increase in number compared to other chemicals in the mixture.

14. About how long ago did the earth's crust cool?
An aggregate of prebiotically produced molecules and macromolecules that acquired a boundary - such as a lipid bilayer - that allowed it to maintain an internal chemical environment distinct from that of its surroundings.
One of the RNA molecules mutates and has enzymatic ability to attach nucleotides together. A second mutation produces enzymatic ability to synthesize nucleotides.
Atmospheric water vapor - methane - hydrogen - and ammonia catalyzed by lightning formed precursor molecules. This was tested in the Miller/Urey experiment.
4 billion years ago

15. Prokaryotic life arose during what eon?
3.8-3.5 billion years ago
Vesicles surrounded by a lipid layer. Clay can catalyze formation of liposomes that grow and divide. Liposomes can enclose RNA.
Cell specialization (e.g. - somatic and reproductive cells) - bigger (e.g. - to avoid predation) - more efficient at utilizing resources.
Archean eon.

16. What are three advantages multicellularity provides for eukaryotes?
Droplets that form spontaneously from the association of charged polymers. Enzymes trapped inside can perform primitive metabolic functions.
4.6 billion years
Cell specialization (e.g. - somatic and reproductive cells) - bigger (e.g. - to avoid predation) - more efficient at utilizing resources.
1.5 billion years ago

17. Name 4 characteristics of protobionts.
3.8-3.5 billion years ago
Boundary separated external environment from internal contents. Polymers inside the protobiont contained information. Polymers inside the protobiont had enzymatic function. Protobionts capable of self-replication.
Cell specialization (e.g. - somatic and reproductive cells) - bigger (e.g. - to avoid predation) - more efficient at utilizing resources.
Atmospheric water vapor - methane - hydrogen - and ammonia catalyzed by lightning formed precursor molecules. This was tested in the Miller/Urey experiment.

18. About how long ago did the earth's crust cool?
Cell specialization (e.g. - somatic and reproductive cells) - bigger (e.g. - to avoid predation) - more efficient at utilizing resources.
4 billion years ago
A chemical within a mixture of different chemicals has special properties or advantages that cause it to increase in number compared to other chemicals in the mixture.
Two prokaryotic cells living symbiotically and merging OR one prokaryote engulfing a smaller one in an endosymbiotic relationship (data supports this one).

19. What is the hypothetical RNA chemical selection scenario?
4.55 billion years
An aggregate of prebiotically produced molecules and macromolecules that acquired a boundary - such as a lipid bilayer - that allowed it to maintain an internal chemical environment distinct from that of its surroundings.
On clay.
One of the RNA molecules mutates and has enzymatic ability to attach nucleotides together. A second mutation produces enzymatic ability to synthesize nucleotides.

20. What is the advantage of proteins over RNA?
4-3.5 billion years ago
Boundary separated external environment from internal contents. Polymers inside the protobiont contained information. Polymers inside the protobiont had enzymatic function. Protobionts capable of self-replication.
Metabolism and other cellular functions. Proteins have a greater catalytic potential and efficiency. Proteins can perform other tasks - cytoskeleton - transport - etc.
An aggregate of prebiotically produced molecules and macromolecules that acquired a boundary - such as a lipid bilayer - that allowed it to maintain an internal chemical environment distinct from that of its surroundings.

21. About how old is the universe?
Polymers became enclosed in membranes
13.7 billion years
Metabolism and other cellular functions. Proteins have a greater catalytic potential and efficiency. Proteins can perform other tasks - cytoskeleton - transport - etc.
Boundary separated external environment from internal contents. Polymers inside the protobiont contained information. Polymers inside the protobiont had enzymatic function. Protobionts capable of self-replication.

22. What are the seven characteristics of life?
The building blocks of life on Earth arrived via meteors.
Individuals form a colony OR a single cell divides and stays stuck together.
Cells and organization - energy use and metabolism - response to environmental changes - regulation and homeostasis - growth and development - reproduction - biological evolution
4-3.5 billion years ago

23. What was the 4th of the overlapping stages in the origin of life?
Information Storage. DNA would have relieved RNA of informational role and allowed RNA to do other functions. DNA is also less likely to suffer mutations.
Boundary separated external environment from internal contents. Polymers inside the protobiont contained information. Polymers inside the protobiont had enzymatic function. Protobionts capable of self-replication.
Nucleotides and amino acids became polymerized to form DNA - RNA and proteins
Polymers enclosed in membranes acquired cellular properties.

24. What was the 3rd of the overlapping stages in the origin of life?
On clay.
Archean eon.
Polymers became enclosed in membranes
Atmospheric water vapor - methane - hydrogen - and ammonia catalyzed by lightning formed precursor molecules. This was tested in the Miller/Urey experiment.

25. What are two possible explanations for the origin of multicellularity?
Preserved remains of past life on Earth
Individuals form a colony OR a single cell divides and stays stuck together.
Vesicles surrounded by a lipid layer. Clay can catalyze formation of liposomes that grow and divide. Liposomes can enclose RNA.
Nucleotides and amino acids were produced prior to the existence of cells

26. What are two possible explanations for the origin of eukaryotes?
Two prokaryotic cells living symbiotically and merging OR one prokaryote engulfing a smaller one in an endosymbiotic relationship (data supports this one).
4 billion years ago
One of the RNA molecules mutates and has enzymatic ability to attach nucleotides together. A second mutation produces enzymatic ability to synthesize nucleotides.
Nucleotides and amino acids were produced prior to the existence of cells

27. Around when did prokaryotic organisms first appear?
3.8-3.5 billion years ago
4.55 billion years
4.6 billion years
Preserved remains of past life on Earth

28. What is the advantage of proteins over RNA?
Information Storage. DNA would have relieved RNA of informational role and allowed RNA to do other functions. DNA is also less likely to suffer mutations.
Polymers became enclosed in membranes
Preserved remains of past life on Earth
Metabolism and other cellular functions. Proteins have a greater catalytic potential and efficiency. Proteins can perform other tasks - cytoskeleton - transport - etc.

29. What is the advantage of DNA over RNA?
Information Storage. DNA would have relieved RNA of informational role and allowed RNA to do other functions. DNA is also less likely to suffer mutations.
Droplets that form spontaneously from the association of charged polymers. Enzymes trapped inside can perform primitive metabolic functions.
Biologically important molecules may have been formed in the temperature gradient between extremely hot vent water and cold ocean water.
Boundary separated external environment from internal contents. Polymers inside the protobiont contained information. Polymers inside the protobiont had enzymatic function. Protobionts capable of self-replication.

30. What was the 2nd of the overlapping stages in the origin of life?
Droplets that form spontaneously from the association of charged polymers. Enzymes trapped inside can perform primitive metabolic functions.
The building blocks of life on Earth arrived via meteors.
Nucleotides and amino acids became polymerized to form DNA - RNA and proteins
13.7 billion years

31. What are three advantages multicellularity provides for eukaryotes?
Archean eon.
1.5 billion years ago
The building blocks of life on Earth arrived via meteors.
Cell specialization (e.g. - somatic and reproductive cells) - bigger (e.g. - to avoid predation) - more efficient at utilizing resources.

32. What are two possible explanations for the origin of eukaryotes?
Individuals form a colony OR a single cell divides and stays stuck together.
Vesicles surrounded by a lipid layer. Clay can catalyze formation of liposomes that grow and divide. Liposomes can enclose RNA.
Two prokaryotic cells living symbiotically and merging OR one prokaryote engulfing a smaller one in an endosymbiotic relationship (data supports this one).
RNA. It has the ability to store information - capacity for self-replication - and has enzymatic funciton in the form of ribozymes.

33. According to the seven characteristics of life - are viruses alive?
No
RNA. It has the ability to store information - capacity for self-replication - and has enzymatic funciton in the form of ribozymes.
One of the RNA molecules mutates and has enzymatic ability to attach nucleotides together. A second mutation produces enzymatic ability to synthesize nucleotides.
4.55 billion years

34. What are Liposomes?
On clay.
Polymers became enclosed in membranes
Vesicles surrounded by a lipid layer. Clay can catalyze formation of liposomes that grow and divide. Liposomes can enclose RNA.
No

35. Changes in living organisms are the result of what?
On clay.
A chemical within a mixture of different chemicals has special properties or advantages that cause it to increase in number compared to other chemicals in the mixture.
Boundary separated external environment from internal contents. Polymers inside the protobiont contained information. Polymers inside the protobiont had enzymatic function. Protobionts capable of self-replication.
Genetic changes and/or Environmental changes

36. What was the 1st of the overlapping stages in the origin of life?
Boundary separated external environment from internal contents. Polymers inside the protobiont contained information. Polymers inside the protobiont had enzymatic function. Protobionts capable of self-replication.
4.6 billion years
The building blocks of life on Earth arrived via meteors.
Nucleotides and amino acids were produced prior to the existence of cells

37. What was the 2nd of the overlapping stages in the origin of life?
One of the RNA molecules mutates and has enzymatic ability to attach nucleotides together. A second mutation produces enzymatic ability to synthesize nucleotides.
On clay.
Nucleotides and amino acids became polymerized to form DNA - RNA and proteins
Individuals form a colony OR a single cell divides and stays stuck together.

38. Around when did eukaryotic organisms first appear?
A chemical within a mixture of different chemicals has special properties or advantages that cause it to increase in number compared to other chemicals in the mixture.
Genetic changes and/or Environmental changes
Polymers enclosed in membranes acquired cellular properties.
2.5-2.0 billion years ago

39. What is the hypothetical RNA chemical selection scenario?
4-3.5 billion years ago
Boundary separated external environment from internal contents. Polymers inside the protobiont contained information. Polymers inside the protobiont had enzymatic function. Protobionts capable of self-replication.
Metabolism and other cellular functions. Proteins have a greater catalytic potential and efficiency. Proteins can perform other tasks - cytoskeleton - transport - etc.
One of the RNA molecules mutates and has enzymatic ability to attach nucleotides together. A second mutation produces enzymatic ability to synthesize nucleotides.

40. What was the reducing atmosphere hypothesis?
Atmospheric water vapor - methane - hydrogen - and ammonia catalyzed by lightning formed precursor molecules. This was tested in the Miller/Urey experiment.
It is not possible because hydrolysis competes with polymerization.
It is not possible because hydrolysis competes with polymerization.
The building blocks of life on Earth arrived via meteors.

41. Where could RNA polymerization have first occured if not in water?
Metabolism and other cellular functions. Proteins have a greater catalytic potential and efficiency. Proteins can perform other tasks - cytoskeleton - transport - etc.
Vesicles surrounded by a lipid layer. Clay can catalyze formation of liposomes that grow and divide. Liposomes can enclose RNA.
4-3.5 billion years ago
On clay.

42. What was the first macromolecule of protobionts?
Polymers became enclosed in membranes
Biologically important molecules may have been formed in the temperature gradient between extremely hot vent water and cold ocean water.
Polymers enclosed in membranes acquired cellular properties.
RNA. It has the ability to store information - capacity for self-replication - and has enzymatic funciton in the form of ribozymes.

43. What was the 1st of the overlapping stages in the origin of life?
Atmospheric water vapor - methane - hydrogen - and ammonia catalyzed by lightning formed precursor molecules. This was tested in the Miller/Urey experiment.
Biologically important molecules may have been formed in the temperature gradient between extremely hot vent water and cold ocean water.
Archean eon.
Nucleotides and amino acids were produced prior to the existence of cells

44. What is the advantage of DNA over RNA?
Information Storage. DNA would have relieved RNA of informational role and allowed RNA to do other functions. DNA is also less likely to suffer mutations.
A chemical within a mixture of different chemicals has special properties or advantages that cause it to increase in number compared to other chemicals in the mixture.
4 billion years ago
Boundary separated external environment from internal contents. Polymers inside the protobiont contained information. Polymers inside the protobiont had enzymatic function. Protobionts capable of self-replication.

45. What was the first macromolecule of protobionts?
Droplets that form spontaneously from the association of charged polymers. Enzymes trapped inside can perform primitive metabolic functions.
RNA. It has the ability to store information - capacity for self-replication - and has enzymatic funciton in the form of ribozymes.
Information Storage. DNA would have relieved RNA of informational role and allowed RNA to do other functions. DNA is also less likely to suffer mutations.
Polymers became enclosed in membranes

46. What is chemical selection?
Polymers enclosed in membranes acquired cellular properties.
A chemical within a mixture of different chemicals has special properties or advantages that cause it to increase in number compared to other chemicals in the mixture.
One of the RNA molecules mutates and has enzymatic ability to attach nucleotides together. A second mutation produces enzymatic ability to synthesize nucleotides.
4.55 billion years

47. What are Liposomes?
Nucleotides and amino acids became polymerized to form DNA - RNA and proteins
Atmospheric water vapor - methane - hydrogen - and ammonia catalyzed by lightning formed precursor molecules. This was tested in the Miller/Urey experiment.
4.55 billion years
Vesicles surrounded by a lipid layer. Clay can catalyze formation of liposomes that grow and divide. Liposomes can enclose RNA.

48. Around when did multicellular eukaryotic organisms first appear?
Boundary separated external environment from internal contents. Polymers inside the protobiont contained information. Polymers inside the protobiont had enzymatic function. Protobionts capable of self-replication.
4.55 billion years
Vesicles surrounded by a lipid layer. Clay can catalyze formation of liposomes that grow and divide. Liposomes can enclose RNA.
1.5 billion years ago

49. Changes in living organisms are the result of what?
4.6 billion years
On clay.
Cell specialization (e.g. - somatic and reproductive cells) - bigger (e.g. - to avoid predation) - more efficient at utilizing resources.
Genetic changes and/or Environmental changes

50. What was the extraterrestrial/Panspermia hypothesis?
Atmospheric water vapor - methane - hydrogen - and ammonia catalyzed by lightning formed precursor molecules. This was tested in the Miller/Urey experiment.
The building blocks of life on Earth arrived via meteors.
An aggregate of prebiotically produced molecules and macromolecules that acquired a boundary - such as a lipid bilayer - that allowed it to maintain an internal chemical environment distinct from that of its surroundings.
3.8-3.5 billion years ago