Earth and Life Science
Quarter 2
I. Evolving Concept of Life
Biology is a science that deals with all forms of life including their physiology, chemistry, and interactions. The
term was introduced in Germany in 1800 and popularized by the French naturalist Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck
as a means of encompassing the growing number of disciplines involved with the study of living forms.
Where did life begin?
Theories:
Theory of Special creation, in accordance with the Book of Genesis, that every species was individually
created by God in the form in which it exists today and is not capable of undergoing any change.
Cosmozoic Theory (Panspermia Theory) – the idea proposed by Richter in 1865 and supported by
Arrhenius (1908). According to this theory, life has reached the planet Earth from other heavenly
bodies such as meteorites, in the form of highly resistant spores of some microorganisms. The spores
of some microorganisms are called cosmozoa or panspermia because they are preserved inside
meteorites coming to the earth from the outer space. These meteorites struck the barren earth to
release the cosmozoa and they developed into different creatures on the earth.
Theory of Spontaneous Generation also known as Abiogenesis, the idea that life arose from nonlife more
than 3.5 billion years ago on Earth. Abiogenesis proposes that the first life-forms generated were very
simple and through a gradual process became increasingly complex.
Biogenesis Theory, life is derived from the reproduction of other life, was presumably preceded by
abiogenesis, which became impossible once Earth’s atmosphere assumed its present composition.
Primordial Soup Theory
According to primordial soup theory proposed by Alexander Oparin and John Haldane, life started in
a primordial soup of organic molecules.
Some form of energy from lightning combined with the chemicals in the atmosphere to make the
building blocks of protein known as the amino acids.
Coacervate theory , it is expressed by the Russian biochemist A.I. Oparin in 1936 suggesting that the origin
of life was preceded by the formation of mixed colloidal units called coacervates. These are particles
composed of two or more colloids which might be protein, lipid or nucleic acid. He proposed that while these
molecules were not living, they behaved like biological systems in the ancient seas. They were subject to
natural selection in terms of constant size and chemical properties, there was a selective accumulation of
material and they reproduced by fragmentation.
Miller-Urey hypothesis. The first hypothesis where lightning could have operated the synthesis reactions in
the Earth’s early atmosphere was tested by in 1953. It provided the first evidence that organic molecules
needed for life could be formed from inorganic components. Some scientists support the RNA world
hypothesis, which suggests that the first life was self-replicating RNA.
Fossil Evidence
Fossil evidence indicates that life on Earth appeared about 3.5 billion years ago in the oceans
Provided protection from Ultraviolet (UV) rays
Allowed multidirectional movement
Served as a medium for essential chemical reactions.
Anaerobic prokaryotes
Early forms of life
The first forms of life are believed to have appeared some 3.5 billion years ago.
Photosynthetic organisms are organisms who make their own food by utilizing the energy from the
sun and the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The process of photosynthesis produced more oxygen
that changed the Earth’s early atmosphere, allowed oxygen-breathing organisms to exist.
Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) are the first photosynthetic organisms to form.
The Early Life
The formation of planets did not use up all the materials orbiting the sun, so the early Earth received
shower of meteorites and was struck by many asteroids. These extraterrestrial materials and the recurring
volcanic eruptions paved the way for the formation of Earth’s land, seas, and atmosphere.
It is still a matter of discussion, but geological evidence suggests that the early Earth began with little or
no free Oxygen (O2)—had O2 been present iron oxidation (rust formation) in most ancient rocks would have
been observed, but no such sign of oxidation was found. Had O2 been present, small organic compounds
would have broken apart as quickly as they formed due oxidation reactions.
We know that water is essential to life because molecules that are parts of life-sustaining processes
would have to be dissolved in water. The Earth’s lithosphere did not exist then, but it was covered by molted
rock, hence water was in the form of vapor. But as evidence from ancient rocks suggests, Earth had cooled
down 4.3 billion years ago causing pools of water to arise.
Organic Monomers
Chemists thought that organic molecules were only made by living organisms and it possessed a
special vital force. But in the early 1900, a chemist was able to make urea the organic molecule found in urine.
Then another was able to synthesized and amino acid called alanine. The synthesis of these molecules
showed the possibility that organic molecules can be formed synthetically.
In the present, there are three (3) main hypotheses that explain the mechanism on how the organic
monomers came about in early Earth. These mechanisms are not mutually exclusive and might have set off
simultaneously contributing to the formation of the simple organic compounds in Earth’s early seas—where
early life could have started.
Extraterrestrial Materials
At present, meteorites that fall to Earth are often analyzed and was found out that some contains amino
acids, sugars, and nucleotide bases. These compounds (or their precursors) have been found in gas clouds
that surrounds nearby star. Thus, the third hypothesis—that early life may have been brought about by the
extraterrestrial materials that fell on the early Earth received—was created. This hypothesis suggests that
materials from space carried with them organic monomers that were formed from outer space.
II. Unifying Themes and in the Study of Life
Earth is the home of organisms including animals, plants and microorganisms. They are found in the
different parts of the planet. The ecosystems-the biological communities- include living organisms (biotic
factors) like animals, plants, insects and bacteria (interacting to its environment), as well as the non-living
components (abiotic factors) like the rock, soil, water and sunlight. Non-living things are classified as inanimate
objects that may influence, alter or impact the life of biotic factors. These abiotic factors are essential to biotic
factors in various ways.
The field of science that deals with the study of life is the Life Science or Biology. It involves different
disciplines. These disciplines are connected to one another, through which biologist termed as unifying
themes.
The ten unifying themes include: emergent properties, the cell, the heritable information, structure or function,
interaction with the environment, regulation, unity and diversity, evolution, scientific inquiry, and the science,
technology and society.
Biology is the discipline of science that deals with the study of life. This comprises number of disciplines
such as biochemistry and ecology. As a wide-ranging and complex science, biologists designed the term
“unifying themes”, which serve as the bases for the study of life.
The unifying theme connects the different subdisciplines that make biology as a science. In addition to,
the living organisms differ from non-living organisms in various aspects. What are these shared properties (of
living organisms) that make something “alive”?
All levels of life have systems of related parts.
- A system is an organized group of interacting parts.
- A cell is a system of chemicals and processes. It is the basic unit of life.
- A body system includes organs that interact.
- An ecosystem includes living and non-living things that interact.
Structure and function are related in biology.
- Structure determines function.
- The structure is the shape of the object.
- The function is the object’s specific role.
Organisms must maintain homeostasis to survive in diverse environments.
- Homeostasis is the maintenance of constant internal conditions.
- All living organisms must live in a stable environment.
Evolution explains the unity and diversity of life.
- Evolution is the change in living things over time. The genetic makeup of a population of a species
changes.
- It accounts for both the diversity and the unity of life.
Traits are being inherited and transferred.
- The continuity of life depends on the inheritance of biological information in the form of DNA
molecules.
- The genetic information is encoded in the nucleotide sequences of the DNA (Deoxyribonucleic
acid).
Organisms reproduce.
- It is necessary part of living; process of making more of one’s own kind.
Organisms are interdependent with one another.
- Organisms have evolved to live and interact with other organisms.
- Ecology deals with the interactions of living organisms with one another and their environment.
Organisms acquire and process energy.
- Living organisms use a source of energy for their metabolic activities.
- Some living organisms capture the light energy and convert it into chemical energy in food.
- Some living organisms use chemical energy stored in molecules obtained from food.
In addition to the properties mentioned, the two additional unifying themes in the study of life include
the scientific inquiry and science, technology and society.
Scientific Inquiry
- The process of science includes observation-based discovery and the testing of explanations
through the hypothetic-deductive.
- Scientific credibility depends on the repeatability of observation and experiments.
Science, Technology and Society
- Many technologies are goal-oriented applications of science.
- The relationships of science and technology to society are now more crucial to understand than
ever before.
