Concept 16.1

1. Origin of Small Organic Molecules

1.1. atmoshpere contained: carbon monoxided, carbon dioxicde, nitrogen, and water vapor

1.2. Little or no Oxygen

1.3. Energy sources (active volcanoes, lightning, and ultraviolet radiation) from sun were more intense than today

2. Stanley Miller's Experiment

2.1. 1953

2.2. showed evidence that small organic molecules could have formed from chemical and physical processes on early Earth

2.3. Heat vaporizes the water in the solutions, leaving behind high concentrations of amino acids

2.3.1. some concentrated amino acids then bond together and for polypeptides

3. "The RNA World"

3.1. definng characteristic of life is the process of inheritance which is based on molecules that copy themselves

3.2. Cells today transcribe information from DNA to RNA

4. Oldest Fossils

4.1. Stromatolites

4.1.1. dome - shaped rocks where ancient fossils are found

4.2. Photosynthetic Prokaryotes

4.2.1. simplest organisms & can produce their own food. Began (3.9 million yrs. ago)

5. Formation of Pre - Cells

5.1. Stage 1: small organic molecules, such as amino acids and nucleotides, formed from simpler molecules present in the environment

5.2. Stage

5.3. Stage 2: these molecules joined together into larger ones such as proteins and nucleic acids

5.4. Stage 3: molecules that could copy themselves provide a basis for the inheritance of molecular information

5.5. Stage 4: Molecules form pre - cells