King Thomas Learning Academy

Malubago, Sipocot Camarines Sur WEEK 9 MODULE

Senior High Department
Evolving Concept of Life
S/Y 2020-2021
EARTH and LIFE SCIENCE 11

LEARNING COMPETENCY

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

1. Explain the evolving concept of life based on emerging pieces of evidence.
The living components of the Earth, which include the plants, animals, fungi, protist, and bacteria are made up
of cells- the functional units of life. Living things basically are able to detect changes in their environment and respond to
these changes. They can grow and multiply through different modes of reproduction. They have different chemical
composition that consists of water, oxygen, and carbon. The study of these living components of the Earth, of what
makes them up, and of the ecosystems they inhabit, is taken up in what is called the Life Science.
 What are the pieces of evidence that support the origin of the first life forms on Earth?
 How did early life forms appear on Earth?
 How do living things interact with the environment?

Terms that I should familiarize and remember:

 Microfossils- tiny remains of bacteria, protist, fungi, animals, and plants.
 Cyanobacteria- photosynthetic bacteria that are singled- celled but often form colonies in the form of filaments, sheets, or
spheres and are found in diverse environments such as salt and fresh water, soils, and on rocks.
 Prokaryote- unicellular organism that lacks a membrane- bound nucleus, mitochondria, or any other eukaryotic
membrane- bound organelle.
 Eukaryote- organism whose cells have a nucleus enclosed within a nuclear envelope.
 Evolution- change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations.

The Evolving Concept of Life

How did life begin?

Life is believed to have existed on earth on the earth for billions of years now.
Scientist do not know exactly when did the life begin on Earth. However, they are able to
trace how life developed and evolved using some pieces of evidence.

How has the concept of life evolved from before?

Life began on Earth at least 3.5 to 4 billion years ago, and it has been evolving
ever since. At first, all living things on Earth were simple, single-celled
organisms. Much later, the first multicellular organisms evolved, and after that,
Earth's biodiversity greatly increased.

Theories and Evidence on the Origin of Life

There are many theories about origin of life. Some believed that living
organisms were put to Earth by some divine forces. Others say that life did not
originate from Earth but from other planets. But among scientist, the most accepted
theory is that life came from inanimate matter.

PRIMORDIAL SOUP THEORY

 According to the primordial soup theory proposed by Alexander Oparin and John Haldane, life started in primordial soup of
organic molecules. Some from energy from lighting combined with the chemicals in the atmosphere to make the building blocks of
protein known as the amino acids.

Primordial Soup Soup sounds delicious! Haldane coined the term 'prebiotic soup' or 'prebiotic atmosphere' that
consisted of an abundance of methane, ammonia, and water. This term became a powerful symbol of the Oparin-Haldane
view of the origin of life

THEORY OF SPECIAL CREATION

Theory of special creation states that life was created by supernatural power in the form
which has not undergone any change. It was given by father Saurez. God has created life in six
days from meteria pima and man was created by him on sixth day.
 ABIOGENESIS THEORY
Theory that attempts to explain the origin of life. Scientist suggest that
many years ago gases in the atmosphere had the ability to react upon
being struck by lighting or other sources of energy. Gases would further
assemble into more increasingly complex molecules such as proteins.
These proteins ultimately developed into living cells.

Spontaneous Generation
Formation of life from non-
living materials.
For many centuries many people believed in the concept
of spontaneous generation, the creation of life
from organic matter. Francesco Redi disproved
spontaneous generation for large organisms
by showing that maggots arose from meat only when flies
laid eggs in the meat

 Scientist dedicated to finding out how life first appeared on earth

Alexander Ivanovich Oparin
Russian March 2, 1894 – April 21, 1980 a Soviet biochemist notable for his theories about the
origin of life, and for his book The Origin of Life. He also studied the biochemistry of material
processing by plants and enzyme reactions in plant cells.

John Scott Haldane

Scottish May 2, 1860 –March 14/15 ,1936 a physiologist famous for intrepid self-
experimentation which led to many important discoveries about the human body and the nature
of gases.

Oparin- Haldane Hypothesis

Harold Urey and his student, Stanley Miller, tested Oparin and Haldane’s
hypothesis by setting up an apparatus that simulated the early Earth
conditions.

The Oparin-Haldane hypothesis suggests that life arose gradually from

inorganic molecules, with “building blocks” like amino acids forming first and then
combining to make complex polymers.
 This hypothesis suggested that if the primitive atmosphere was reducing (as opposed to oxygen-rich), and if there was an
appropriate supply of energy, such as lightning or ultraviolet light, then a wide range of organic compounds might be synthesized.

Oparin 1924 Haldane 1929 Hypothesized.

 The Earth’s atmosphere was extremely reducing in its early stages of development.
 This means that the atmosphere had an excess of negative charge and could cause reducing reactions by adding
electrons to compounds.
 These organic compounds could have undergone a series of reactions leading to more and more complex
molecules.
 Organic molecules could have formed from simple inorganic molecules.
 These molecules formed colloid aggregates, or 'coacervates', in an aqueous environment.
 These coacervates were able to absorb and assimilate organic compounds from the environment in a way
reminiscent of metabolism.
 They would have taken part in evolutionary processes, eventually leading to the first lifeforms. Hypothesized that:
 The early stages of Earth’s atmosphere was reducing, which could catalyze reactions that would form more
complicated organic molecules from simpler molecules.
 The oceans served as a huge cooking pot where, powered by the sun or lightning, chemical reactions could occur in
an aqueous environment to form a huge diversity of organic compounds.
 The primordial sea served as a vast chemical laboratory powered by solar energy.
 The atmosphere was oxygen free, and the combination of carbon dioxide, ammonia and ultraviolet radiation gave
rise to a host of organic compounds.
 The sea became a 'hot dilute soup' containing large populations of organic monomers and polymers. o Groups of
monomers and polymers acquired lipid membranes, and that further developments eventually led to the first living
cells. Oparin- Haldane Hypothesis

Harold Clayton Urey

American April 29, 1893 – January 5, 1981 a physical chemist played a
significant role in the development of the atom bomb, but may be most
prominent for his contribution to theories on the development of organic life
from non-living matter.

Stanley Lloyd Miller Miller-Urey Experiment

American March 7, 1930 – May Harold Urey and his student
20, 2007 a chemist who made Stanley Miller tried to calculate the
landmark experiments in the chemical constituents of the atmosphere
origin of life by demonstrating of the early Earth. They based their
that a wide range of vital calculations on the view that the early
organic compounds can be atmosphere was reducing.
synthesized by fairly simple
chemical processes from In order to do this, they simulated
inorganic substances. early earth atmospheric conditions by
creating a closed system which contained
water, methane gas, ammonia, and
hydrogen gas.
 Urey suggested that his student, Miller should attempt to
synthesize organic compounds in this type of atmosphere. iv. Miller carried
out an experiment in which he passed a continuous spark discharge at
60,000 Volts through a flask containing the gases identified by Urey along
with water. Furthermore, this electrical current was run through the
laboratory set up to simulate the catalytic source of lightning that was
present in the early atmosphere.

Miller found that after a week, most of the ammonia and much of
the methane had been consumed. The main gaseous products were
carbon monoxide and nitrogen.

In addition, there was an accumulation of dark material in the

water. Few of the specific constituents of this could not be identified, but it
was clear that the material included a large range of organic polymers.

From the results of their experiment, they found that up to 15% of the carbon in the system was
inorganic compounds that had formed in the system.

This conclusion proved that organic molecules could be formed from inorganic molecules in Earth’s
early atmosphere.

Evidence on the First Forms of Life FOSSILS!

FOSSILS  One of the strongest pieces of

evidence that show many life forms existed in
Earth in the past 3.5 billion years.

FOSSILS  One of the strongest pieces of

evidence that show many life forms existed in
Earth in the past 3.5 billion years.

Bone Fossil

Shell Fossil

Plant Fossil

Footprint Fossil
  How do fossils form?

Fossil Formation Over long periods of time, particles piled up on the remains of organisms and eventually became
sedimentary rocks, preserving the original body patterns of organism.

Paleontologists scientists who study fossils  Examine the age of fossilized organisms through radioisotope dating
using radioactive materials such as the radioactive components of potassium-argon.  Found remains of
microscopic living cells, called micro-fossils, in rocks that formed 3.5 billion years ago after the Earth cooled and
solidified.

Microfossils
  a fossil or fossil fragment that can be seen
only with a microscope  existed in mats
and formed layered structures called
stromatolites

Stromatolites
a calcareous mound built up of layers of lime- secreting
prokaryotes, or single-celled organisms, called cyanobacteria (the
blue-green algae) and trapped sediment, found in Precambrian
rocks as the earliest known fossils, and still being formed in
lagoons in Australasia.

What are the pieces of evidence that support the origin of life?

The earliest evidence of life on Earth comes from fossils discovered in Western Australia that date back to about
3. 5 billion years ago. These fossils are of structures known as stromatolites, which are, in many cases, formed by the
growth of layer upon layer of single-celled microbes, such as cyanobacteria.

Cyanobacteria 
Believed by scientists to be the first oxygen- producing
organisms that helped evolve the Earth’s early atmosphere
 
into one that can support early life forms
 As these microorganisms continued generating oxygen,
other photosynthetic organisms evolved and increased the
level of oxygen in the atmosphere.  This increased the
chance of more and more oxygen reaction ammonia, a
reaction that results in the release of nitrogen into
atmosphere.
  Which resulted in the formation of the ozone
layer!
The ozone molecules consist of three oxygen
atoms and have the chemical formula O3
A rapid evolution of life occurred after oxygen
became abundant.

The Three Domains of Life Life is everywhere on Earth!!!

Life forms exist in different environmental conditions. 

There are organisms in soil, air, and even in freezing waters or deep sea thermal vents. 

This diversity of life constitutes many and varied lineages of organisms. 

Some lineages have gone extinct due to geological events brought by tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, extreme fluctuations
in temperature and rising water levels.

Carl Richard Woese

American July 15, 1928 – December 30, 2012 a microbiologist and biophysicist.
He is famous for defining the Archaea (a new domain or kingdom of life) in 1977
by phylogenetic taxonomy of 16S ribosomal RNA, a technique pioneered by
Woese which revolutionized the discipline of microbiology.

Domain The highest

taxonomic rank of organisms in
the three- domain system
of taxonomy higher than the
animal kingdom classification
 Three Domains

Archaea
Also known as ancient bacteria because they resemble the ancient
prokaryotes Their morphological and genetic characteristics differ from other forms
of bacteria.  Lives mostly in extreme environments:  Near rift vents in the deep
sea at 100c  Hot springs  Alkaline  Acid waters  Guts of cows  Guts of termites
 Guts of some marine life forms which produces methane

Bacteria 

Also known true bacteria or simply bacteria  Constitutes a great

portion of prokaryotic microorganisms.  Ecologically diverse, some are found
in  Water  Soil  Other organisms  Some are aerobic(needs oxygen), some
are anaerobic.

Bacteria have been the very first organisms to live on Earth. They

made their appearance 3 billion years ago in the waters of the first oceans.
At first, there were only anaerobic heterotrophic bacteria (the primordial
atmosphere was virtually oxygen-free).
Eukarya 

Also known Eukaryotes  Have membrane-bound nucleus  Have

eukaryotic cells composed of membrane- bound organelles  Can be unicellular
 Protists  Yeast  Can be multicellular  Plants  Fungi  Animal.

How did multicellular organisms evolve?

Multicellular organisms are believed to have evolved from unicellular eukaryotes. Some single
eukaryotic cells, like unicellular algae, formed multicellular aggregates through association with another cell
producing colonies. From colonial aggregates, the organisms evolved to form multicellular organisms through
cell specialization.

Protozoans, sponges, and fungi came to being. The first fossilized animals which were discovered 580
million years ago were soft-bodied. The continuous process of cell specialization brought the emergence of
complex and diverse plants and animals, including human beings. Evidence from fossil layers proved that
different forms of life were present and have evolved through time. According to Charles Darwin, organisms
change over time as a result of adaptation to their environment in order to survive.
Explore!

Your mother bought some meat from the market one day. She placed the meat in a pan but forgot to place it in
the freezer. After some time, maggots were seen crawling from the meat. What can you say about these outcomes?

Homework

Place a piece of bread in a plastic container and leave it for three days. Observe what would happen to the
bread. What do you see on the bread? What brought them there?

Senior High Department

S/Y 2020-2021
EARTH SND LIFE SCIENCE
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
Week 9
LEARNING COMPETENCY: Explain the evolving concept of life based on emerging pieces of
evidence
FA. 1.1 What are the pieces of evidence that support the origin of life?
FA.1.2 How has the concept of life evolved from before?

FA. 1.3 What is the geological evidence for the evolution of life on Earth?

Senior High Department

S/Y 2020-2021
EARTH SND LIFE SCIENCE
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
Week 9
LEARNING COMPETENCY: Explain the evolving concept of life based on emerging pieces of evidence
SA. 1.2 What is most important for origin of life?
 SA. 1.2 How does evolution affect your everyday life?

SA.1.3 When and how did life begin?

Test Question
1. When did the early forms of life exist?

 A. 1.5 billion years ago

 B. 2.5 billion years ago
 C. 4.5 billion years ago
 D. 3.5 billion years ago
2. Where is the first form of life seen?

 A. microfossils
 B. layers of rocks
 C. oceanic crusts
 D. sediments
 3. Which of the following is the first photosynthetic organism to form?

 A. cyanobacteria
 B. algae
 C. fungi
 D. gymnosperm
4. Which is not true about the prokaryotes?

 A. They are simple in structure, small, and unicellular.

 B. They do not have nucleus.
 C. They survive in extreme conditions.
 D. They are not capable of making their own food.
5. Which of the following processes brought changes in the early atmosphere?

 A. earthquake
 B. extreme condition
 C. photosynthesis
 D. volcanic eruption
6. The following are multicellular organisms first evolved from colonial aggregates except:

 A. fungi
 B. protozoans
 C. sponges
 D. mollusks
7. Which of the following statements is not correct?

 A. Photosynthetic organisms decreased the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere.

 B. Organisms change over time as a result of adaptation for survival.
 C. Multicellular organisms evolved from unicellular eukaryotes.
 D. The earliest forms of life were the prokaryotes.
8. All of the following statements are true about the evolution of multicellular organisms except:

A. They are formed from multicellular colonial aggregates through cell specialization.
B. They are believed to have evolved from single-celled prokaryotes.
C. The process of continuous specialization brought more complex organisms.
D. The single-celled organisms that formed multicellular aggregates were like the cells of algae.
 9. Why do you think the emergence of plants and animals came later than simple living
organisms?

A. They are too big and take time to form.

B. They are the least important factor in the environment.
C. Their cell structures are more complex.
D. They contain more nucleus compared to lower forms of organisms.
10. Considering the present condition of the environment, do you think living organisms are still
evolving today?

A. Yes, because humans continuously alter the environment that triggers evolution among living
organisms in order to survive.
B. No, because the environment remains favourable to living organisms.
C. Yes, because it is a natural phenomenon which we cannot stop from happening.
D. No, because there is no condition outside their bodies that will trigger evolution.

References
https://www.google.com/search?
q=Explain+the+evolving+concept+of+life+based+on+emerging+pieces+of+evidence&source=lmns&bih=608
&biw=1366&hl=fil&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjUn4PngfnrAhWQuJQKHVQwAToQ_AUoAHoECAEQAA
https://www.google.com/search?q=theory+of+special+creation&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjn6a6o-
_jrAhVGVJQKHYifCLsQ2cCegQIABAA&oq=theory&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgAMgQIIxAnMgQIIxAnMgII
ADIECAAQQzIECAAQQzICCAAyBAgAEEMyAggAMgQIABBDMgIIAFCD_BJYg_wSYOmPE2gAcAB4
AIABiwKIAYsCkgEDMi0xmAEAoAEBqgELZ3dzLXdpei1pbWfAAQE&sclient=img&ei=8u9nXeoFcao0QS
Iv6LYCw&bih=554&biw=604&hl=fil&hl=fil#imgrc=wuCzMM2l1SpoXM
https://www.google.com/search?
q=theories+of+the+origin+of+life&source=lmns&bih=608&biw=1349&hl=fil&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwir29XU9
fjrAhUJzYsBHYO_BowQ_AUoAHoECAEQAA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPsQ6KEtjlA