Earth's History and Origin of Life
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33 Terms
How old is the universe?
About 12-14 billion years.
How old is Earth?
4.6 billion years.
When did Earth form?
4.6 BYA.
When did oceans form?
4.4 BYA.
When did the first life appear?
About 3.5 BYA.
What were the first organisms?
Single-celled prokaryotes.
What is the habitable (Goldilocks) zone?
The distance from a star where liquid water can exist.
Why is liquid water important?
It is essential for life.
What are the four proposed steps for the origin of life?
Abiotic synthesis of organic molecules; formation of polymers; formation of protocells; self-replicating RNA.
What are monomers?
Small molecules that join to form polymers.
What are polymers?
Large molecules made of repeating monomers.
What are nucleotides?
The building blocks of DNA and RNA.
What are protocells?
Early membrane-bound cell-like structures.
Why is RNA thought to have come before DNA?
It may have been the first self-replicating molecule.
When did atmospheric oxygen begin increasing?
About 2.7 BYA.
What caused the Great Oxygenation Event?
Photosynthetic prokaryotes releasing oxygen.
What was the consequence of the Great Oxygenation Event?
Mass extinction of anaerobic organisms.
When did the first eukaryotes appear?
About 1.8 BYA.
What is endosymbiosis?
The theory that eukaryotes evolved when one cell engulfed another that became an organelle.
What evidence supports endosymbiosis?
Double membranes and DNA in mitochondria and chloroplasts.
When did multicellular organisms appear?
About 1.5 BYA.
When did the first animals appear?
About 600 MYA.
When did the Cambrian Explosion occur?
About 542 MYA.
What was the Cambrian Explosion?
A rapid diversification of animal life.
Name the three major eras.
Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic.
What is the Paleozoic Era known for?
Cambrian Explosion, colonization of land, diversification of plants and reptiles.
What is the Mesozoic Era known for?
Age of the dinosaurs.
What is the Cenozoic Era known for?
Age of mammals.
Why did organisms colonize land?
Fewer predators, abundant resources, and open habitats.
What is continental drift?
The movement of Earth's tectonic plates.
What is Pangaea?
The ancient supercontinent.
What is an extant species?
A species still alive today.
What is an extinct species?
A species that no longer exists.