This class primarily focused on the evolution of life on earth and the discussion was centered on following questions:
1. When did the earth form and how long thereafter did earliest life forms evolve?
2. How is it that seemingly chaotic interactions can form a complex pattern?
3. What are requirements for life?
4. Could microorganisms such as bacteria from the earth survive in space?
5. What’s the probability that the universe harbor intelligent life besides us?
The earth was formed around 4.5 billion years ago. According to fossil evidence, the earliest life from that looked like vesicles might have evolved as early as 1.1 billion years after the formation of the earth. Since we haven’t found any evidence of life in the universe besides …show more content…
These elements come together to form a complex molecule, which can be either polar or nonpolar. The polarity of a molecule is determined by electronegativity of its constituent elements. If a molecule is mostly composed of Carbon and Hydrogen, then it will most likely be non-polar, whereas, if a molecule is composed of Oxygen, Nitrogen and Hydrogen, it will most likely be polar. Under the right condition, H, O, C, N, P, and S can combine to form complex molecules such as protein and amino acid. The mechanistic detail about the formation of the complex molecules is still not clear, but theories suggest that they may have formed due to random collision (pure probability), which can be to some extent describe by Boolean …show more content…
For example, if we put 10,000 buttons and scatter them on the floor and blindfoldedly tie the bottoms in a string and repeat the process, we will start making larger and larger cluster as we move along. In fact, if we repeat the process 4990 times, we will get a cluster of 100 buttons and if we repeat it 5010 times, we will get a cluster 8000 buttons. The similar principal might have given rise to complex structures, such as protein and amino acid that are pillars of earliest life form on earth. Since complex structures can form from chaos, these complex structures can serve as the framework for life.
Life needs a continuous medium because it needs a way to transport molecules around. For this process, gases do not work because of limited solubility and fast diffusion. Solids also do not work either because of slow diffusion. Liquids on the other hand, are an ideal medium because they are often a good solvent and have moderate diffusion. That being said, not every liquid would work; liquid water and liquid ammonia are good medium, whereas liquid methane is
1. When did the earth form and how long thereafter did earliest life forms evolve?
2. How is it that seemingly chaotic interactions can form a complex pattern?
3. What are requirements for life?
4. Could microorganisms such as bacteria from the earth survive in space?
5. What’s the probability that the universe harbor intelligent life besides us?
The earth was formed around 4.5 billion years ago. According to fossil evidence, the earliest life from that looked like vesicles might have evolved as early as 1.1 billion years after the formation of the earth. Since we haven’t found any evidence of life in the universe besides …show more content…
These elements come together to form a complex molecule, which can be either polar or nonpolar. The polarity of a molecule is determined by electronegativity of its constituent elements. If a molecule is mostly composed of Carbon and Hydrogen, then it will most likely be non-polar, whereas, if a molecule is composed of Oxygen, Nitrogen and Hydrogen, it will most likely be polar. Under the right condition, H, O, C, N, P, and S can combine to form complex molecules such as protein and amino acid. The mechanistic detail about the formation of the complex molecules is still not clear, but theories suggest that they may have formed due to random collision (pure probability), which can be to some extent describe by Boolean …show more content…
For example, if we put 10,000 buttons and scatter them on the floor and blindfoldedly tie the bottoms in a string and repeat the process, we will start making larger and larger cluster as we move along. In fact, if we repeat the process 4990 times, we will get a cluster of 100 buttons and if we repeat it 5010 times, we will get a cluster 8000 buttons. The similar principal might have given rise to complex structures, such as protein and amino acid that are pillars of earliest life form on earth. Since complex structures can form from chaos, these complex structures can serve as the framework for life.
Life needs a continuous medium because it needs a way to transport molecules around. For this process, gases do not work because of limited solubility and fast diffusion. Solids also do not work either because of slow diffusion. Liquids on the other hand, are an ideal medium because they are often a good solvent and have moderate diffusion. That being said, not every liquid would work; liquid water and liquid ammonia are good medium, whereas liquid methane is