BIOA01H3 Lecture Notes - Murchison Meteorite, Hydrogen Sulfide, Panspermia

• School: UTSC
• Department: Biological Sciences
• Course: BIOA01H3
• Professor: Bebhinn Treanor

Document Summary

Bioao1- the origins and chemical building blocks of life: Chemical and physical processes on earth produced simple cells. Abiotic synthesis of small organic molecules (monomers) Packaging of these molecules into protobionts (membrane bound system) that maintained distinct internal chemistry. System to store information and guide synthesis: abiotic synthesis: Three major hypotheses: primordial soup, deep-sea vents, extraterrestrial origins(panspermia) Atmosphere contained large concentration of molecules rich in electrons, ammonia, methane, hydrogen (water vapour, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, ammonia, methane, but no oxygen) Molecules create reducing atmosphere where molecules can interact. Oparin-halane hypothesis (1920): proposed the idea that macromolecules were created from this soup. They simulated atmosphere of primordial earth, took the molecules , put in closed system, provided energy through electrode sparks. Results: organic compounds (amino acids) have been synthesized. First experiment that synthesized molecules: deep-sea vents: Other scientists didn"t think there was enough ammonia, to make it happen.