BIOL 2400 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Cosmic Microwave Background, Edwin Hubble, Kerogen
Document Summary
Age of universe = 13. 7 +/- 0. 2 billion years: evidence: Expanding universe (edwin hubble, 1929) objects further away are moving farther away at a rate faster than objects closer to us. Cosmic microwave background radiation (arno penzias & robert wilson. 1964: big bang model (ralph alpher) energy associated with initial rapid expansion is cosmic microwave radiation. Origin of solar system and earth = 4. 6billion year: evidence: Radiometric dating (rate of decay of elements) of meteorites and moon rocks (use meteorites and moon rocks because volcanic action of earth alters the dates new rocks forming) Prebiotic chemistry elements and molecules that haven"t yet formed together to generate life: miller-urey experiments took compounds present in early earth (h2o, Nh3, h2, ch4) and through chemical reactions of these basic compounds, the building blocks of life were produced (amino acids, adenine, guanine, Cyanoacetylene, various sugars, ribose: assumption in the experiment: not much oxygen available in atmosphere.