BIOL 1020 Lecture Notes - Radiometric Dating, Water Vapor, Macroevolution
Document Summary
Metabolizing energy (using energy for its own needs) Reproducing: propose 4-stage process: ultimately leads to potential life, 1. Synthesis of organic compounds creating something more complicated. Earth"s early atmosphere: water vapor, nitrogen, co2, methane, ammonia, miller-urey experiments (1953) figure 4 (chapter 4) Hypothesis: complex organic molecules could form from simple inorganic components. Experiment: simulate gaseous environment that likely existed adjacent to volcanoes. Key results: found organic compounds common in living organisms, found amino acids and hydrocarbons. Modern tests of the hypotheses: meteorite that hit australia provides evidence that it is possible, found amino acids, 3. Joining of small molecules into macromolecules (e. g. proteins and nucleic acids, e. g. rna) Small organic molecules polymerize when they are concentrated on hot sand, clay, or rock: monomer -> polymer, 3. Packing of molecules into membrane-bound vesicles (protocells): not truly functional cells. Aggregates of abiotically produced molecules surrounded by a membrane (sort of the process of oil and water)