ORIGIN OF LIFE

OUT LINE

Age Of Earth The Geological Timescale Earths Biosphere And Life Science What Is Life How Life Began On A Young Earth What Were The Earliest Organisms Like? What Were The Earliest Multicellular Organisms Like? How Did Life Invade The Land? How Did Humans Evolve?

Geological Scale
Age Of Universe ~ Roughly 12 B. Y. Age Of Solar System ~ 4.6 B. Y. Age Of Earth ~ 4.5 B. Y. Age Of Human-like Species ~ 4 M. Y. Only!!! Recall: geologic time is divided into intervals broadest level of division eons, subdivided into eras, broken-down into periods.

AGE OF EARTH

Modern geologists consider the age of the Earth to be around 4.54 billion years (4.54109 years). This age represents a compromise between the interpretations of oldest-known terrestrial minerals small crystals of zircon from the Jack Hills of Western Australia.

The Geological Timescale

Past life is often referred to being a part of a certain era, or a certain point on the geological timescale. There are 4 eon on the geological timescale, consisting of the Hadean, Archean, Proterozoic & Phanerozoic eon

Hadean Eon

4.5 to 3.8 billion years ago. The Hadean era did not contain life as we know it, but rather the building blocks of life, such as amino acid, proteins and the like, mentioned previously.

Archean Eon

3.8 to 2.5 billion years ago It saw the formation of the first cells, as described in the The First Cell section. This era saw the creation of simple bacteria and plant like algae, which could actually feed off pure energy in the form of sunlight. They became the building blocks for evolution of life, and the basis of early food chains.

Proterozoic Eon

2.5 billion to 544 million years ago.

About 1.8 billion years ago, eukaryotic cells began to appear (Eukaryotic cells = nucleus, which stores genetic information. Eukaryotic cells today =such as plants, fungi, animals, insects)

Proterozoic Eon

Another important event in the Proterozoic era was the first evident of oxygen buildup in the atmosphere. This meant death for early bacteria, whom could not survive in oxygen environments. The end of this era also saw the beginnings of multi-cellular life forms, such as certain algae and simple animals.

Phanerozoic Eon
544 million years ago till today It is subdivided into three eras, the Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic

Paleozoic Era

544 million to 245 million years ago. During the Paleozoic era, many life forms began to flourish. Many of these life forms we would not recognize today. These life forms slowly evolved in the ocean, and began to step out onto land, originally with amphibious life forms, and eventually with reptiles.

Mesozoic Era

The Mesozoic era has three time periods. The Triassic (245-208 mya) The Jurassic ( 208-146 mya) The cretaceous Last season of Dinosaurs (146-65 mya) Mesozoic carries the meaning of middle animals. The Mesozoic saw the creation of many different life forms, including the famous dinosaurs. There where also many new plants, including early coniferous plants. However, many of these life forms succumbed to extinction, or evolution, and are not around today in the form they originally where.

Cenozoic Era

The Cenozoic is the most current era, taking place from the last mass extinction of all land-based dinosaurs (approximately 65 million years ago) to the present day. This era saw the rise of many mammals, such as whales, the great hunter cats, as well as Humans. But it also saw the rise of the birds, insects, and many new plants, including flowering plants. Much of life as we know it today evolved during this era.

Earths Biosphere and Life Science

Our Earth is, to the best of our current knowledge, the only planet in our Solar System (or beyond) which supports life of any kind. Earths original atmosphere contained little or no molecular oxygen, which is required by current animal and advanced plant life forms.

Earths Biosphere and Life Science

The oxygen currently in our atmosphere is produced by green plant photosynthesis, which began with reduction of carbon dioxide by anaerobic bacteria, also known as blue-green algae, inhabiting the oceans in Earths early history. An important topic of the present day is that humans are returning CO2 to the atmosphere at a faster rate than plants can reduce it to form O2, which can cause global warming.

Evolution of Oxygen Content of Earths Atmosphere

What is Life?
There is no simple definition of Life, except that life forms are able to act on their own behalf to support their own existence, and to reproduce themselves.

How Life began on a young Earth

Prior to earths formation, this universe had its matter concentrated in one mass That mass blew apart about 10-20 BYA Earth formed about 4.6 billion years ago First atmosphere was mostly H2 Second atmosphere (after H2 escaped) was CO2, N2, H2S, H2O, and possibly CH4 and NH3

Life began on a young Earth

Primitive cellular organisms were present a few hundred million years after the crust cooled First organisms were primitive prokaryotes First prokaryotes were likely NOT photosynthetic These heterotrophs probably appeared about 3.9 billion years ago

The first genetic material and enzymes may both have been RNA

Short RNA molecules can assemble spontaneously (without enzymes) If RNA is added to a solution containing RNA molecules, complementary strands form spontaneously Ribozymes: RNA molecules that can function as enzymes (could be first transitional stage between RNA and enzymes)

What Were the Earliest Organisms Like?

The First Organisms Were Anaerobic Prokaryotes Some Organisms Evolved the Ability to Capture the Suns Energy Photosynthesis Increased the Amount of Oxygen in the Atmosphere Aerobic Metabolism Arose in Response to the Oxygen Crisis

What Were the Earliest Organisms Like?

Some Organisms Acquired MembraneEnclosed Organelles Mitochondria and Chloroplasts May Have Arisen from Engulfed Bacteria Evidence for the Endosymbiont Hypothesis Is Strong

What Were the Earliest Multicellular Organisms Like?

Some Algae Became Multicellular

Higher organisms with differentiated cells evolved more than 1 billion years ago
Original animal forms were primarily aquatic shelled invertebrates (ocean dwellers), dating back to the Proterozoic (pre-Cambrian) era, more than 600 million years ago.

Animal Diversity Arose in the Precambrian Era

What Were the Earliest Multicellular Organisms Like?

Life Invaded the Land beginning in the Cambrian Era

Land plants began in the Cambrian era, about 500 million years ago Oxygen content of the atmosphere reached nearcurrent levels in the Devonian era, beginning nearly 400 million years ago Land animals date back to the Devonian era, about 350 million years ago.

How Did Life Invade the Land?

Some

Plants Became Adapted to Life on Dry Land Primitive Land Plants Retained Swimming Sperm and Required Water to Reproduce Seed Plants Encased Sperm in Pollen Grains Flowering Plants Enticed Animals to Carry Pollen Some Animals Became Adapted to Life on Dry Land Amphibians Evolved from Lobefin Fishes Reptiles Evolved from Amphibians Reptiles Gave Rise to Both Birds and Mammals

What Role Has Extinction Played in the History of Life?

Evolutionary History Has Been Marked by Periodic Mass Extinctions Climate Change Contributed to Mass Extinctions Catastrophic Events May Have Caused the Worst Mass Extinctions The extinction of the Dinosaurs has recently been determined to have been caused by an asteroid impact with the Earth about 65 million years ago There is evidence of an even more catastrophic extinction event further back in Earths history (about 300 million years ago)

How Did Humans Evolve?

Some Early Primate Adaptations for Life in Trees Were Inherited by Humans Binocular Vision Provided Early Primates with Accurate Depth Perception Early Primates Had Grasping Hands A Large Brain Facilitated HandEye Coordination and Complex Social Interactions The Oldest Hominid Fossils Are from Africa

How Did Humans Evolve?

The Earliest Australopithecines Could Stand and Walk Upright Several Species of Australopithecus Emerged in Africa The Genus Homo Diverged from the Australopithecines 2.5 Million Years Ago The Evolution of Homo Was Accompanied by Advances in Tool Technology Neanderthals Had Large Brains and Excellent Tools

How Did Humans Evolve?

Modern Humans Emerged Only 150,000 Years Ago Cro-Magnons and Neanderthals Lived Side by Side Several Waves of Hominids Emigrated from Africa. The Evolutionary Origin of Large Brains May Be Related to Meat Consumption The Evolutionary Origin of Human Behavior Is Highly Speculative The Cultural Evolution of Humans Now Far Outpaces Biological Evolution

The earliest hominid

This nearly complete skull of Sahelanthropus tchadensis, which is more than 6 million years old, is the oldest hominid fossil yet found.

Searching for the origin

Origin of Life Theories Special Creation Oldest and most widely accepted hypothesis. Extraterrestrial Origin Cosmic material may have carried complex organic molecules to earth. Spontaneous Origin Life evolved from inanimate matter.

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