Chpt 21-defining life and it's origins Flashcards
define abiotic
physical factors in the environment
define biotic
living components of the environment
what are the seven characteristics of life?
display order harness and use energy reproduce respond to stimuli exhibit homeostasis grow and develop evolve
what is a cell?
the fundamental units of life
define emergent property.
new property that forms when simpler objects associate to increase complexity of the resulting combo
what is meant by the statement “life displays emergent properties?”
the 7 properties of life emerge from much simpler interactions, for example macromolecules interacting to create cellular processes
define abiotic synthesis
mlcls produced in the absence of life, such as the first macromolecules
what was the first experiment to determine the abiotic formation of macromolecules, critical to life?
miller’s reaction chamber experiment
name three macromolecule origin hypothesis
the reducing atmosphere hypothesis, the deep sea vent hypothesis and the extraterrestrial organs hypothesis
define macromolecules and give examples
biologically important mlcls that can be synthesized outside of living cells with an input of E, includes lipids, nucleic acids, proteins and polysaccharides
which macromolecules orgin hypothesis completely PROVES that abiotic production of life’s chemicals is possible?
the ET orgins hypothesis
define polymer
macromolecules formed from the bonding of individual monomers
define monomer
subunits that links together to form polymers during polymerization
what is the monomer of nucleic acids?
nucleotides
what is the monomer of proteins
amino acids
what is the monomer of polysaccharides, such as starch and cellulose
simple sugars
polymers are synthesized by…
dehydration
define enzyme
a protein based catalyst
what is the clay hypothesis?
formation of short nucleic acids and polypeptides can be synthesized on clay surfaces
what is the difference between a reducing atmosphere and an oxidizing one?
A reducing atmosphere is an atmospheric condition in where oxidization is prevented by reducing gases, such as O2 and CO2. whereas an oxidizing atmosphere oxidizes immersed surface compounds, for example, the O2 rich atmosphere on earth.
define selectively permeable
Membranes that selectively allow, impede, or block the passage of atoms and molecules.
what three things do modern life forms need to survive on a microscopic level?
cells, systems to store genetic info and systems to harness energy
define protobiant
abiotically produced organic molecules surrounded by a membrane, act as a bilayer of early lipid spheres
what were lipid spheres
protobiants that allowed for metabolic runs to occur, similar to present day lipid vesicles