Origins of Life

Question 1

Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA)

Answer 1

• self replicating, metabolizing, highly complex, composed of diver macromolecules
• no single environment can fulfill all requirements
• hypothetical early cell/group of cells
• gave rise to all life on Earth
• LUCA evolve into an array of metabolisms

Question 2

CHNOPS

Answer 2

• life evolved from gases

Question 3

DNA

Answer 3

• stores genetic info, transcribed to RNA

Question 4

RNA

Answer 4

• info translated into proteins

Question 5

Proteins

Answer 5

• replication: make new DNA
• metabolism harness energy
• motion

Question 6

Strecker Synthesis

Answer 6

Amino Acid Synthesis
- lightning discharge reactions
- promoted by acid
- requires energy input
- lightning discharge in the atmosphere
- heat from hydrothermal vents

Question 7

Formose Reaction

Answer 7

Formation of Sugars

Question 8

Fischer Tropic Type Reactions

Answer 8

• developed to produce fuel from inorganic precursors
• geological sources of CO2, CO, and H2
• volcanism and serpentization

Question 9

Geological Perspective Bottom-Up

Answer 9

• environments
  many prebiotic environments in which geochemistry may have allowed origins of life to occur

Question 10

Biological perspective: Top-down

Answer 10

• cell is incredibly complex even its smallest components

Question 11

catabolism

Answer 11

using matter to make energy

Question 12

anabolism

Answer 12

using energy to make matter

Question 13

Nucleic acids and base pairings - REPLICATION

Answer 13

• when a molecule makes a copy of itself
• transcription and translation
• making the proteins that power living cells
• DNA –> RNA –> protein

Question 14

RNA world hypothesis

Answer 14

• made up of 4 different chemical building blocks
• Adenine, Guanine, Cytosine, Uracil

Question 15

Photoautotrophs

Answer 15

light energy
- carbon from CO2

Question 16

Chemoautotrophs

Answer 16

• energy from chemical compounds
• carbon from organic CO2

Question 17

Chemoheterotrophs

Answer 17

• energy from chemical compounds
• carbon from organic compounds

Question 18

Chemolithotrophy

Answer 18

organisms that generate energy by the oxidation of inorganic molecules for biosynthesis or energy conservation via aerobic or anaerobic respiration.

Question 19

phylogenetic tree of life

Answer 19

prokaryotes vs eukaryotes
- diagram that depicts the lines of evolutionary descent of different species, organisms, or genes from a common ancestor

Question 20

Drake Equation

Answer 20

lays out factors that play a role in determining the number of communicating civilizations in our galaxy/beyond

Question 21

Oxygenic Photosynthesis evolves

Answer 21

• cyanobacteria

Question 22

Endyosymbiotic theory

Answer 22

• theory that eukaryotic cells formed from a symbiosis among several different prokaryotic organisms

Question 23

Organics

Answer 23

• carbon and hydrogen in structure

Question 24

Fermi’s Paradox

Answer 24

high probability of prior ET life

Question 25

Copernican Principle

Answer 25

• Earth is not the center of the universe
• Sun is not center of the universe
• MODERN: there is not center to the universe

Question 26

Solutions to not finding life beyond humans

Answer 26

(1) We are the centre of the universe and ET doesn’t exist
(2) Borrowed time: we won’t exist long enough to meet them
(3) We missed them: life on Earth hasn’t been around that long
(4) They are hiding from us
(5) We are living in a simulation - zoo hypothesis
(6) Universe is too large

Question 27

Defining Intelligent Life

Answer 27

• self aware
• communicative
• build tools
• complex understanding

others:
- music, art, society