The origin of life

The age of the Universe is a concept that is not easily visualized. The Cosmic Calendar is an analogy that can help us realize the concept of Deep Time. This comparison was devised by Carl Sagan.

Imagine that the age of the Universe (~13.7 billion years) is converted to one of our 365-day years . . . In this conversion, each month would equal a little over a billion years. Heres what this means . . .

The Earth is formed ~ 4.6 BYA

Life (on Earth) appears

January 1st The Big Bang

The Milky Way forms

Sun/planets form

Multicellular organisms

First worms
First amphibians First true mammals

http://school.discovery.com

First amphibians

First true mammals

http://school.discovery.com

Another analogy: If the Eiffel tower represents the history of the Earth, the time where we humans have been around can be shown as the coat of paint at the towers very tip . . . (This analogy was presented by no other than Mark Twain). Get the picture?

This one is just fun . . .

http://www.earthsci.org

The Earth is about 4.6 billion years old The atmosphere of the early Earth is thought to have included: CO2, H2O, CO, H2, NH3, H2S, CH4. No free molecular oxygen (O2)!!!!! Many sources of energy: Lightning Volcanic activity Radiation (cosmic, UV)

Chemical evolution of life (Life from nonlife) Different form biological evolution! For life to have arisen in this manner, it is believed that four main conditions were necessary: Little or no free oxygen Energy Chemical building blocks (water, salts, minerals, gases) Time

Based on those conditions (which we believe we had on early Earth), organic chemicals, which are the essential components of life, were synthesized. There are two main models that try to explain how this happened: The prebiotic soup hypothesis The iron-sulfur world hypothesis

The prebiotic soup hypothesis

States that the organic precursors formed near the Earths surface
In the 1920s, two scientists, A. Oparin and J. Haldane, independently proposed that organic molecules such as simple sugars, amino acids and nucleotide bases could form from basic raw Materials. In the 1950s Stanley Miller (a graduate student) and Harold Urey (his professor) designed an experiment that simulated the early Earths environment.

http://exobiology.arc.nasa.gov

What did the Miller-Urey experiments demonstrate?

That biologically important molecules --amino acids, nucleic acids, sugars, lipids, etc., can be formed from non-living chemicals through natural processes. This scenario could work under various atmospheric mixtures.

It is currently accepted that the Earth, along with the rest of the Solar System, originated approximately 4.6 billion years ago. It is further argued, that for the next 600 million years, meteors and comets blasted the planets. And yet, apparently almost immediately (in geological terms) after the last asteroid par-boiled the Earth's surface, life had appeared. This has led some to suggest that life developed not on the surface at all, but below the surface, perhaps in a superheated environment like that which we find at the oceanic ridge 'smokers.'

The iron-sulfur hypothesis.

The iron-sulfur world hypothesis

States that the organic precursors formed in hydrothermal vents at the oceans floor

Important questions about the origin of life in our planet: Did life originate in a single setting or in several?

* * * *

Where did the carbon come from?

http://exobiology.arc.nasa.gov/

Important questions about the origin of life in our planet:

Did lifes building blocks come from different environments? If life deterministic? In other words, is DNA inevitable? What role did the environment play in lifes origin? When did evolution start? (I can answer that!!!!)

Can the study of modern organisms give us some clues into the origin of life?

All life on Earth is related

DNA is apparently the 'universal' basis for all life on Earth. Only 20 [known] amino acids are used in all living things on Earth. L-amino acids exclusively are used in all living things on Earth. ATP* is the 'universal' energy currency used in all living cells.

The central dogma of molecular biology

DNA codes for RNA, which codes for proteins . . . So far, so good, however, in order to synthesize DNA, we need specialized enzymes, which are proteins, but if proteins need to be ultimately coded for by DNA, well . . . What does this paradox reminds you of?

The RNA world hypothesis

RNA has the ability to act as both genes and enzymes (ribozymes). It has been suggested that RNA was the first informational molecule, capable of self-replication. DNA and proteins are thought to have come later. Recent developments have provided evidence for this hypothesis. RNA can undergo directed evolution.

From Peret, 2005

Most likely, the first living organisms on Earth were heterotrophs and anaerobes.
Heterotrophs = obtained the molecules needed for nourishment from the environment, instead of synthesizing them directly. Autotrophs = Organisms capable of synthesizing their required molecules using an external energy source (sunlight, geotermal energy, etc.). Anaerobes = Organisms that do not use oxygen in their metabolic processes. Aerobes = Organisms that use oxygen in their metabolic processes.

Cells
Protobionts assemblages organic polymers of non-biological origin

This is a good time to introduce size scales: 1 meter (m) = 100 meters 1 centimeter = 10-2 meters 1 millimeter (mm) = 10-3 meters 1 micrometer (m) = 10-6 meters 1 nanometer (nm) = 10-9 meters

Adapted form: www.urmc.rochester.edu/smd/mbi/grad2/pdf/gr03intr.pdf

www.sju.edu

The origin of eukaryotes

Dr. Gus Mbuy PhD - UCLA Virology

Dr. Xin Fan PhD - UPenn How can some bacteria cause disease?

Dr. On R. Pagn PhD Cornell Pharmacology Neurobiology

Dr. Win Fairchild PhD - Michigan Ecology Biostatistics

Questions?