Trivia

I. THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONCEPT OF LIFE

WHEN DID LIFE BEGIN ON EARTH?

The origin of life is one of the great mysteries in the Universe. To determine the origin of
life, scientists are investigating the problem in several different ways. Geologists estimate
that the Earth formed around 4.5 billion years ago. This estimate comes from measuring
the ages of the oldest rocks on Earth, as well as the ages of moon rocks and meteorites.

THEORIES ON THE ORIGIN OF LIFE

The origin of life means the emergence of heritable and evolvable self-reproduction.
“Origin of Life” is a very complex subject, and oftentimes controversial. Two opposing
scientific theories that existed on this complex subject for a long time were the so called
intelligent design and creationism.

1.Special creation: Life formation on the earth may have been taken place due to supernatural
or divine forces. There are different kinds of accreditations by different religions.

•HINDU CONCEPT: The whole world, plants, oceans, rivers, humans, animals are created
by Lord Brahma.
•CHRISTIAN & ISLAM CONCEPT: God created the universe, human beings, plants, oceans
and rivers in six days. All the plants and animals were created at once. All the living
organisms were created in the same form as they exist today.

2.Spontaneous Generation Theory or Abiogenesis Theory: Life may have evolved from non-living
matter as association with prebiotic molecules under primitive earth conditions, became
more and more complex. This theory suggests that life could come from nonliving things,
decaying and rotting matter like straw, mud, etc. Several experiments have been
conducted to disprove spontaneous generation. In 1668, Francesco Redi a scientific
experiment to test the spontaneous creation of maggots by placing fresh meat in three
different jars. He found the maggots in open jar and on the exterior surface of the cloth
that covered the jar. No maggots were found in the sealed jar. Redi successfully
demonstrated that the maggots came from fly eggs and thereby helped to disprove
spontaneous generation. Louis Pasteur rejected the theory of spontaneous generation and
demonstrated that life came from pre-existing life. In his experiment, he kept killed yeast
cells in pre-sterilised flask and another flask open into air. The life did not evolved in the
former but new living thing evolved in the later flask. Several other experiments like
Needham’s experiment, Spallanzani's Experiment etc. have been performed which disprove
the theory of spontaneous origin. Spontaneous generation is the incorrect hypothesis that
nonliving things are capable of producing life.

3. Extraterrestrial origin: This theory is given by Richer in 1865 and also known as cosmozoic
theory. Panspermia means "seeds everywhere". This hypothesis states that the "seeds" of
life exist all over the Universe and can be propagated through space from one location to
another.

* Litho panspermia (interstellar panspermia) - impact-expelled rocks from a planet's

surface serve as transfer vehicles for spreading biological material from one solar system
to another.

* Ballistic panspermia (interplanetary panspermia) - impact-expelled rocks from a planet's

surface serve as transfer vehicles for spreading biological material from one planet to
another within the same solar system

* Directed Panspermia - the intentional spreading of the seeds of life to other planets by
an advanced extraterrestrial civilization, or the intentional spreading of the seeds of life
from Earth to other planets by humans.
4. Theory of Biochemical Evolution: Several models for the origin of life have been suggested.
The first 'modern' model for the origin of life was presented in the 1923 independently by
the Russian biochemist A. I. Oparin and later supported by the British evolutionary
biologist J. B. S. Haldane in 1928. The Oparin and Haldane theory is known as biochemical
theory for the origin of life. According to the Oparin-Haldane model, life could have arisen
through a series of organic chemical reactions that produced ever more complex
biochemical structures. They proposed that common gases in the early Earth atmosphere
combined to form simple organic chemicals, and that these in turn combined to form more
complex molecules.

5. Simple Beginnings: Instead of originating from complex molecules like RNA, DNA, life
might have begun with small and simple molecules interacting with each other in cycles of
reactions. These reactions might have been change a simple capsule to cell membranes and
over time more complex molecules or cells. This is the most simple of the standing
theories, and is difficult to dismiss.

6. RNA world: In the formation of life DNA, RNA and proteins play important role. DNA can
store genetic information and proteins can catalyze the reactions. But RNA can do both
the jobs. RNA has the self-replicating properties. The RNA world theory suggests that
life on Earth began with simple RNA molecule that could copy itself without help from any
other molecule. The compelling feature of RNA World is that a primordial molecule
provided both catalytic power and the ability to propagate its chemical identity over
generations.

7. Chilly start: Ice might have covered the oceans 3 billion years ago, as the sun was three
times less luminous than it now. This layer of ice, possibly hundreds of feet thick, might
have protected fragile, organic compounds in the water below from ultraviolet light and
destruction from cosmic impacts. The cold might have also helped these molecules to
survive longer, allowing reactions to happen. The enzyme does not yet copy itself. The main
barrier seems to be the folded structure that allows it to copy other RNA. The RNA
enzyme’s effectiveness at cold temperatures suggests ice was crucial to the first life.
When a mix of RNA and metal ions freezes, growing ice crystals suck up the water, leaving
tiny pockets of RNA. At cold temperatures, RNA strands often stick together, making it
tricky to separate them after the RNA has been copied. Ice freezes and melts all the
time, so you can easily see how an RNA replicator could be enclosed, released and allowed
to spread.
8. Deep-Sea Vents: This theory suggests that life arose deep in the ocean within warm, rocky
structures called hydrothermal vents. This theory suggests that life may have begun at
submarine hydrothermal vents and ejecting hydrogen rich molecules. Their rocky nooks
could then have concentrated these molecules together and provided mineral catalysts for
critical reactions. These vents are rich in chemical and thermal energy. Deep-sea
hydrothermal vents are porous geological structures produced by chemical reactions
between solid rock and water. Alkaline fluids from the Earth’s crust flow up the vent
towards the more acidic ocean water, creating natural proton concentration differences
remarkably similar to those powering all living cells.

9. Community Clay: The first molecule of life, hydrocarbon, might have met on the clay.
These surfaces might not only have concentrated these organic compounds together but
also helped organize them into patterns much like our genes. Mineral crystals in clay could
have arranged organic molecules into organized patterns. Clay minerals played a key role in
chemical evolution and the origins of life because of their ability to take up, protect (from
UV radiations), concentrate, and catalyse the polymerization of organic molecules. Clay
minerals can also store and replicate structural defects and ionic substitutions and act as
‘genetic candidates’. So the minerals and organic molecules in the layers of clay would
favour the formation and replication of biological molecules (e.g. enzymes, polynucleotides)
and favour the possibility of origin of life through this theory.

10. Electric Spark: Lightning may have provided the spark needed for life to begin. There are
two distinct versions of the spark of life theory. The first of these versions holds that
the first form of life came into existence following “one spark” or on one particular "spark
day." The other version argues that life came into existence, or rather emerged, following
prolonged sparking rather one specific spark. Electric sparks can generate amino acids and
sugars from an atmosphere loaded with water, methane, ammonia and hydrogen, as
described in Miller Urey experiment. This suggests that lightning might have helped
create the key building blocks of life on Earth in its early days. Over time larger molecules
could form as a result of this.
THEMES OF LIFE - basic ideas that apply to all organisms - connects many things in the
exploration of life.

1. BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS • SYSTEM – has properties/ functions based on the

arrangement and interactions of its parts – together, the parts of our body enables
us to move Example: Organ System • contraction of muscles attached to bones
causes movement • blood vessels then supply these parts with oxygen and food

2. BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS • Ecosystem – organisms in the ecosystem require a

steady supply of certain chemicals to live chemicals are returned to the soil by
bacteria and fungi that decompose the wastes and remains of animals acquire most
of the chemicals they need by eating plants or other animals plants obtain most of
their necessary chemicals from the soil, water and air

3. THE CELLULAR BASIS OF LIFE • All organisms are made of cells. Levels of
organization: - cell - tissue - organ - system – organism. Most multicellular
organisms have cells that are specialized for different functions Muscle cells
Contract and enable us to move Nerve cells Transmit impulses that control our
muscles

4. STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION • The relationship between structure and function is

apparent in the entire organism and the physiological systems that serve them. The
structure determines function, function reflects structure – Technically, they are
inseparable

5. REPRODUCTION AND INHERITANCE • The offspring inherits units of

information called genes from their parents . Genes: – Responsible for family
resemblance – Made up of information-rich molecules called DNA

6. REPRODUCTION AND INHERITANCE • Each cell in the body contains a copy of all
DNA that were inherited from our mother and father – When a cell divides, it
copies its DNA and passes this genetic information on to each of the two cells it
produces

7. ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTIONS • No organism is completely isolated from its

surroundings . As part of an ecosystem, each organism interacts continuously with
its environment – The plants obtain water and nutrients from the soil, carbon
dioxide from the air and energy from sunlight. There is a constant sensing and
responding to changes in the environment The specialized leaf of the Venus flytrap
 senses the light footsteps of a soon-to- be-digested fly The plant responses by
rapidly folding the leaf together

8. ENERGY AND LIFE • Moving, growing, reproducing and other activities of life
require energy • Energy is obtained from chemical reactions – Sugars, fats and
other “fuel-like” molecules in the food produce energy. Energy enters the
ecosystem as sunlight Plants are producers that convert light energy to chemical
energy stored in food Animals and other consumers obtain their energy in chemical
form by eating Energy exist in the ecosystem as heat, which all organisms generate
as they perform work

9. REGULATION • Organisms have the ability to regulate their internal conditions

The thermostat of the brain reacts whenever your body temperature varies slightly
from 37◦C It then sends signals to the skin to produce sweat. Sweating helps cool
the body Panting is another example of cooling mechanism. It causes moisture from
the surface of the lungs to evaporate

10. EVOLUTION AND DIVERSITY • Explains changes in organisms over long periods of
time – Adaptation allows life forms to acquire new characteristics in response to
their environment through the process of natural selection Some animals make
their coats lightened to facilitate hiding from predators. The study of evolution is
helping health professionals understand how disease-causing bacteria become
resistant to antibiotic drugs • Environmental issues such as water and air pollution
are changing how people think about their relationship with the biosphere • The
population then evolves with its need for survival

11. SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY • Involves asking questions about nature and then using
observations or experiments to find possible answers to those questions By fitting
a radio transmitter onto an Atlantic turtle, researchers can monitor its movement
This can help researchers determine how large a nature preserve must be to
support a population

12. SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY • Modern biology is changing humans’ everyday lives – New
findings about the DNA affect medicine and agriculture – Research on the nervous
system is improving the treatment of certain mental illnesses – The result of stem
cell research, animal cloning, environmental issues, genetically modified crops or
new ways to treat diseases show the impact of biology

13. SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY • Technology applies scientific knowledge

in new ways In 2013, Australia developers created a prototype for a bionic eye. It
sends an image to a microchip in the brain, allowing the user to “see” the image
14. SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY • Through science, humans learn about
the solution to various problems • The scientific method is able to give direction
and pace for every inquiry • Technology produced machinery to lengthen the life of
perishable goods.