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Origins Of Life

Subject : science

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Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
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Match each statement with the correct term.
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1. 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).
1.5 billion years ago
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.

2. What was the reducing atmosphere hypothesis?
Genetic changes and/or Environmental changes
The building blocks of life on Earth arrived via meteors.
Biologically important molecules may have been formed in the temperature gradient between extremely hot vent water and cold ocean water.
Atmospheric water vapor - methane - hydrogen - and ammonia catalyzed by lightning formed precursor molecules. This was tested in the Miller/Urey experiment.

3. Around when did eukaryotic organisms first appear?
Atmospheric water vapor - methane - hydrogen - and ammonia catalyzed by lightning formed precursor molecules. This was tested in the Miller/Urey experiment.
Polymers became enclosed in membranes
2.5-2.0 billion years ago
4 billion years ago

4. What are two possible explanations for the origin of multicellularity?
4-3.5 billion years ago
Individuals form a colony OR a single cell divides and stays stuck together.
Genetic changes and/or Environmental changes
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.

5. About how old is the earth?
4.55 billion years
Archean eon.
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.

6. Around when did multicellular eukaryotic organisms first appear?
Cells and organization - energy use and metabolism - response to environmental changes - regulation and homeostasis - growth and development - reproduction - biological evolution
Archean eon.
1.5 billion years ago
The building blocks of life on Earth arrived via meteors.

7. What was the 2nd of the overlapping stages in the origin of life?
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.
Cells and organization - energy use and metabolism - response to environmental changes - regulation and homeostasis - growth and development - reproduction - biological evolution
Vesicles surrounded by a lipid layer. Clay can catalyze formation of liposomes that grow and divide. Liposomes can enclose RNA.
Nucleotides and amino acids became polymerized to form DNA - RNA and proteins

8. About how old is the earth?
Cells and organization - energy use and metabolism - response to environmental changes - regulation and homeostasis - growth and development - reproduction - biological evolution
4.55 billion years
RNA. It has the ability to store information - capacity for self-replication - and has enzymatic funciton in the form of ribozymes.
Atmospheric water vapor - methane - hydrogen - and ammonia catalyzed by lightning formed precursor molecules. This was tested in the Miller/Urey experiment.

9. What are Liposomes?
No
Cell specialization (e.g. - somatic and reproductive cells) - bigger (e.g. - to avoid predation) - more efficient at utilizing resources.
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

10. About how long ago did life first appear?
Nucleotides and amino acids were produced prior to the existence of cells
Polymers became enclosed in membranes
Polymers became enclosed in membranes
4-3.5 billion years ago

11. What was the extraterrestrial/Panspermia hypothesis?
Nucleotides and amino acids were produced prior to the existence of cells
The building blocks of life on Earth arrived via meteors.
3.8-3.5 billion years ago
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.

12. What was the 2nd 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.
On clay.
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.
Nucleotides and amino acids became polymerized to form DNA - RNA and proteins

13. What are two possible explanations for the origin of multicellularity?
4.55 billion years
Individuals form a colony OR a single cell divides and stays stuck together.
On clay.
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.

14. About how old is the universe?
One of the RNA molecules mutates and has enzymatic ability to attach nucleotides together. A second mutation produces enzymatic ability to synthesize nucleotides.
13.7 billion years
Cell specialization (e.g. - somatic and reproductive cells) - bigger (e.g. - to avoid predation) - more efficient at utilizing resources.
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.

15. About how long ago did the earth's crust cool?
2.5-2.0 billion years ago
4 billion years ago
Cell specialization (e.g. - somatic and reproductive cells) - bigger (e.g. - to avoid predation) - more efficient at utilizing resources.
13.7 billion years

16. 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.
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.
Droplets that form spontaneously from the association of charged polymers. Enzymes trapped inside can perform primitive metabolic functions.
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.

17. What are three advantages multicellularity provides for eukaryotes?
Cell specialization (e.g. - somatic and reproductive cells) - bigger (e.g. - to avoid predation) - more efficient at utilizing resources.
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.
Metabolism and other cellular functions. Proteins have a greater catalytic potential and efficiency. Proteins can perform other tasks - cytoskeleton - transport - etc.
4-3.5 billion years ago

18. What are the seven characteristics of life?
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
Cells and organization - energy use and metabolism - response to environmental changes - regulation and homeostasis - growth and development - reproduction - biological evolution
4.6 billion years

19. What are two possible explanations for the origin of eukaryotes?
13.7 billion years
Two prokaryotic cells living symbiotically and merging OR one prokaryote engulfing a smaller one in an endosymbiotic relationship (data supports this one).
Archean eon.
4 billion years ago

20. What is a Protobiont?
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.
On clay.

21. Where could RNA polymerization have first occured if not in water?
On clay.
Cell specialization (e.g. - somatic and reproductive cells) - bigger (e.g. - to avoid predation) - more efficient at utilizing resources.
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.

22. What is chemical selection?
Metabolism and other cellular functions. Proteins have a greater catalytic potential and efficiency. Proteins can perform other tasks - cytoskeleton - transport - etc.
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.
Cell specialization (e.g. - somatic and reproductive cells) - bigger (e.g. - to avoid predation) - more efficient at utilizing resources.
4 billion years ago

23. What was the 3rd of the overlapping stages in the origin of life?
Polymers became enclosed in membranes
Archean eon.
13.7 billion years
4-3.5 billion years ago

24. Changes in living organisms are the result of what?
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.
Genetic changes and/or Environmental changes
Cells and organization - energy use and metabolism - response to environmental changes - regulation and homeostasis - growth and development - reproduction - biological evolution
Vesicles surrounded by a lipid layer. Clay can catalyze formation of liposomes that grow and divide. Liposomes can enclose RNA.

25. What was the 1st of the overlapping stages in the origin of life?
No
Nucleotides and amino acids were produced prior to the existence of cells
The building blocks of life on Earth arrived via meteors.
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.

26. About how old is the solar system?
Biologically important molecules may have been formed in the temperature gradient between extremely hot vent water and cold ocean water.
4.6 billion years
No
4 billion years ago

27. Prokaryotic life arose during what eon?
Archean eon.
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 billion years ago
RNA. It has the ability to store information - capacity for self-replication - and has enzymatic funciton in the form of ribozymes.

28. What have experiments shown about prebiotic synthesis of polymers in aqueous solutions?
4-3.5 billion years ago
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.
It is not possible because hydrolysis competes with polymerization.
No

29. About how old is the solar system?
Cell specialization (e.g. - somatic and reproductive cells) - bigger (e.g. - to avoid predation) - more efficient at utilizing resources.
4.6 billion years
Nucleotides and amino acids were produced prior to the existence of cells
No

30. 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.
4-3.5 billion years ago
4.6 billion years
Cells and organization - energy use and metabolism - response to environmental changes - regulation and homeostasis - growth and development - reproduction - biological evolution

31. What are three advantages multicellularity provides for eukaryotes?
Cell specialization (e.g. - somatic and reproductive cells) - bigger (e.g. - to avoid predation) - more efficient at utilizing resources.
4-3.5 billion years ago
The building blocks of life on Earth arrived via meteors.
On clay.

32. What is the advantage of proteins over RNA?
Metabolism and other cellular functions. Proteins have a greater catalytic potential and efficiency. Proteins can perform other tasks - cytoskeleton - transport - etc.
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.
1.5 billion years ago
Nucleotides and amino acids were produced prior to the existence of cells

33. What was the 4th of the overlapping stages in the origin of life?
3.8-3.5 billion years ago
Polymers enclosed in membranes acquired cellular properties.
Vesicles surrounded by a lipid layer. Clay can catalyze formation of liposomes that grow and divide. Liposomes can enclose RNA.
4.6 billion years

34. Prokaryotic life arose during what eon?
On clay.
Individuals form a colony OR a single cell divides and stays stuck together.
Archean eon.
3.8-3.5 billion years ago

35. Around when did multicellular eukaryotic organisms first appear?
Nucleotides and amino acids were produced prior to the existence of cells
On clay.
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.
1.5 billion years ago

36. What are Coacervates?
13.7 billion years
Nucleotides and amino acids were produced prior to the existence of cells
Droplets that form spontaneously from the association of charged polymers. Enzymes trapped inside can perform primitive metabolic functions.
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.

37. About how long ago did the earth's crust cool?
4 billion years ago
1.5 billion years ago
Nucleotides and amino acids became polymerized to form DNA - RNA and proteins
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.

38. Name 4 characteristics of protobionts.
Biologically important molecules may have been formed in the temperature gradient between extremely hot vent water and cold ocean water.
Vesicles surrounded by a lipid layer. Clay can catalyze formation of liposomes that grow and divide. Liposomes can enclose RNA.
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

39. What are fossils?
RNA. It has the ability to store information - capacity for self-replication - and has enzymatic funciton in the form of ribozymes.
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.
Preserved remains of past life on Earth
1.5 billion years ago

40. What was the 1st of the overlapping stages in the origin of life?
4 billion years ago
Polymers became enclosed in membranes
Nucleotides and amino acids were produced prior to the existence of cells
Archean eon.

41. Around when did prokaryotic organisms first appear?
4 billion years ago
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.
13.7 billion years
3.8-3.5 billion years ago

42. What was the 3rd of the overlapping stages in the origin of life?
4.55 billion years
4 billion years ago
Polymers became enclosed in membranes
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.

43. What was the first macromolecule of protobionts?
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.
13.7 billion years
Polymers became enclosed in membranes
RNA. It has the ability to store information - capacity for self-replication - and has enzymatic funciton in the form of ribozymes.

44. What was the reducing atmosphere hypothesis?
3.8-3.5 billion years ago
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
4-3.5 billion years ago

45. Where could RNA polymerization have first occured if not in water?
Droplets that form spontaneously from the association of charged polymers. Enzymes trapped inside can perform primitive metabolic functions.
On clay.
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.

46. What is the advantage of proteins over RNA?
Metabolism and other cellular functions. Proteins have a greater catalytic potential and efficiency. Proteins can perform other tasks - cytoskeleton - transport - etc.
Nucleotides and amino acids were produced prior to the existence of cells
Polymers became enclosed in membranes
2.5-2.0 billion years ago

47. 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
Vesicles surrounded by a lipid layer. Clay can catalyze formation of liposomes that grow and divide. Liposomes can enclose RNA.
Polymers enclosed in membranes acquired cellular properties.
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.

48. According to the seven characteristics of life - are viruses alive?
Biologically important molecules may have been formed in the temperature gradient between extremely hot vent water and cold ocean water.
Cell specialization (e.g. - somatic and reproductive cells) - bigger (e.g. - to avoid predation) - more efficient at utilizing resources.
No
3.8-3.5 billion years ago

49. What was the first macromolecule of protobionts?
13.7 billion years
The building blocks of life on Earth arrived via meteors.
RNA. It has the ability to store information - capacity for self-replication - and has enzymatic funciton in the form of ribozymes.
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.

50. What was the extraterrestrial/Panspermia hypothesis?
The building blocks of life on Earth arrived via meteors.
Polymers became enclosed in membranes
4.6 billion years
No