Bio Lec 15

Spontaneous Generation

The belief that life could emerge from inanimate materials.

Biogenesis

The principle that life cannot arise from non-life.

Louis Pasteur

A chemist who conducted experiments to disprove spontaneous generation using a Swan Neck Flask.

Miller-Urey Experiment

Laboratory experiment that simulated early Earth conditions to produce basic organic molecules.

RNA World

A period where self-replicating RNA molecules are thought to have been the basis of life.

Extremophiles

Organisms, particularly some Archaea, that thrive in extreme environments.

Binary Fission

The asexual reproduction process in which a prokaryotic cell splits into two identical cells.

Exotoxins

Toxins released by bacteria that can cause disease.

Endosymbiont Theory

The theory that chloroplasts and mitochondria evolved from engulfed prokaryotic cells that lived symbiotically.

Protozoans

A major group of protists that are primarily unicellular, including flagellates, amoebas, apicomplexans, and ciliates.

Dinoflagellates

Unicellular algae with two flagella responsible for red tides and primary production in coral reefs.

Diatoms

Unicellular algae with a silica shell that are important in primary production and form diatomaceous earth.

Green Algae

Photosynthetic algae believed to be the ancestor of modern plants, important for food webs and oxygenation.

Seaweeds

Multicellular marine algae classified based on pigments into green, red, and brown algae.

Ribozymes

RNA molecules that can act as enzymes, catalyzing reactions.

Liposomes

Hollow spheres made of fat membranes that could have enclosed nucleic acids and proteins.