BIOL 1201 Study Guide - Radiometric Dating, Protocell, Organelle
Document Summary
The building blocks of macromolecules can be formed from nonliving matter if the conditions are right. Independently hypothesized that the atmosphere of the primitive earth was probably very different from today"s. Rich in hydrogen, methane, other hydrocarbons and ammonia. Most of these can come from volcanic sources. This process of chemical evolution is called prebiotic evolution. The hypothesis of abiotic formation of organic molecules was tested in 1953 in the laboratory of stanley. All the building blocks can arise without life. >>>the building blocks accumulated and the simple molecules condensed into more complex ones. This might have taken place on the surface of minerals (clay) or in oily droplets floating in the prebiotic soup. Sidney fox showed that polypeptides (polymers of amino acids) could be produced abioticly. >>>the polymers can form aggregates which could maintain an internal environment different from their surroundings and exhibit some biological process. A protocell is an example of one of these aggregates.
