BIOLOGY 1A03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: The Sequence, Tryptophan, Valine

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Biology
• Course: BIOLOGY 1A03
• Professor: Daniel Yang

Document Summary

Monomer - subunit or building block of a polymer. Polymer - large molecule composed of several connected subunits, which are identical or similar. He was trying to nd building blocks of life, how they came together in a way to be precursors of life. Used early earth"s conditions (no oxygen, had methane, ammonia, hydrogen). After going through condenser tubes, he found that there were fundamental building blocks (monomers, polymers) formed. Found that these building blocks could be formed in the early earth"s conditions. Murchison meteorite - perhaps the building blocks came from an extra-terrestrial source. Murchison meteorite fell in victoria, australia and had several monomers (building blocks). Possibility that it got contaminated from earth"s atmosphere. Hydrothermal vents - underwater, submarines have found several building blocks (monomers) in the hydrothermal vents. 3. 2 amino acid structure: non-ionized form of amino acid. Carbon has three similar bonds for each amino acid.