12 Questions
What is considered to have been the first living cells?
Protocells
According to Alexander Oparin and J.B.S.Haldane, how did life originate on Earth?
After an extensive period of abiogenic molecular evolution
What was referred to as a 'hot primordial soup' by J.B.S.Haldane?
Accumulation of early organic molecules in the primitive ocean
What kind of atmosphere is mentioned as crucial for the formation of organic molecules according to Oparin and Haldane?
Reducing atmosphere (low levels of molecular oxygen)
What was the principal problem in determining the origin of life according to the text?
Explaining how primitive abiotic chemical systems became organized into self-reproducing living cells
Which external free energy source is mentioned as capable of acting on abiogenic materials to form organic molecules?
Ultraviolet radiation
What was the main contribution of the Miller-Urey experiment to the study of abiogenesis?
Discovered the formation of amino acids and fatty acids in prebiotic conditions
What is a significant challenge to the Oparin-Haldane hypothesis according to recent discoveries?
The absence of methane and ammonia in the early Earth atmosphere
How did a study in the 1980s resolve the chicken-egg paradox regarding the evolution of enzymes and nucleic acids?
By determining that RNA possesses both enzymatic and informational properties
What key characteristic allowed RNA to act as both an information carrier and a catalyst in the early stages of chemical evolution?
Possession of enzymatic and informational properties
What event was critical in kickstarting natural selection and subsequent evolution according to the text?
Formation of protocells encapsulating RNA
In what way did the ability of RNA to act as both an information molecule and a catalyst influence early chemical evolution?
It allowed for self-replication due to possessing both properties
Explore the fascinating journey of how life originated on Earth billions of years ago, as revealed by the fossil record. Delve into the concept of protocells and the challenges in understanding the transition from abiotic chemical systems to self-replicating entities.
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