'Origin Of Life' Ap Biology Worksheet (Page 3 of 4) in pdf

Questions:

1. How old is Earth? ___________________________________________

How old are the oldest fossils? _________________________________________

Why are these fossils NOT considered to represent the first life forms on Earth?

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2. Describe the conditions of Earth at the time life began.

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3. Listed below are descriptions or supporting evidence of the four proposed steps in the chemical

evolution that lead to the first cells. Identify each of the following as true of steps 1, 2, 3, or 4.

______Abiotic production of the 20 amino acids, sugars, lipids, purine and pyrimidine bases under

controlled laboratory conditions

______Abiotic synthesis of organic molecules

______abiotic synthesis of polymers

______Aggregates of abiotically produce molecules that are able to maintain an internal

environment different from the external

_____Charge sites on clay and or iron pyrite held monomers together long enough for a bond to

form between the monomers

_____Energy from UV radiation, lightning, and heat catalyzed the formation of organic monomers

from inorganic compounds

_____Formation of protobionts

_____Miller & Urey experiment

_____Origin of genetic material

_____Polymers synthesized by dehydration synthesis

_____Produce polymers by dripping a solution with monomers on hot clay or sand

_____Production of lipsomes

_____Ribozymes

_____RNA abiotically synthesized

4. Why was the origin of genetic material important to the origin of life on Earth?

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5. How can an RNA molecule have both a genotype and a phenotype?

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6. How did the structure of RNA provide a mechanism for natural selection?

EVOLUTION #15

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'Origin Of Life' Ap Biology Worksheet Page 3