Biology 2581B Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Nature Geoscience, Mono Lake, Alexander Oparin
2 May 2020
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14 bya the universe came into existence through an explosion (the big bang) from an infinitely dense point. 4. 6 bya solar system formed, then earth shortly" after oldest rocks date to about. 3. 8 billion years ago early atmosphere contained little oxygen. 3. 5 bya first fossil evidence of life schopf et al. (2002) nature 416, 73-76 putative cyanobacteria fossil founds. 3. 4 bya microfossils of sulphur-metabolising cells in 3. 4 byo rocks of western. Australia wacey et al. (2011) nature geoscience have to compare fossils with chemical processes in order to confirm what the fossils are of. Three important features of living organisms: they can replicate themselves. Replication needs energy (heterotrophs vs. autotrophs: they contain proteins to catalyse reactions, they store and transmit information (in a genotype) and express it (in a phenotype) Life is mostly composed of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, sulphur and phosphorus elements that make up nucleic acids, proteins and lipids, hence the bulk of living matter.
