EARTHSCI REVIEWER FINALS

Zircon Crystal

The oldest material found on Earth, estimated to be 4.3 billion years old.

Prokaryotic Cells

Single-celled organisms that were the initial form of life on Earth, starting around 3.8 billion years ago.

Multicellular Life

Life forms that evolved over a billion years after the emergence of prokaryotic cells.

Arthropods

Early life forms that evolved around 570 million years ago.

Fish

Life forms that evolved around 530 million years ago.

Land and Plants

Life forms that evolved around 475 and 385 million years ago, respectively.

Mammals

Life forms that emerged around 200 million years ago.

Homo Sapiens

The species of modern humans that evolved 200,000 years ago.

Cell

The basic unit of life.

Pre-existing Cells

The concept that all cells come from pre-existing cells.

Creation Theory

The belief that all life forms on Earth were created by a supreme being.

Theory of Abiogenesis

The theory that living things were naturally created from non-living things.

Stanley Miller

The scientist who performed an experiment in 1953 that simulated the conditions for the origin of life on Earth.

Theory of Biogenesis

The theory that living things come from pre-existing living things.

Francesco Redi

A physician and naturalist who conducted experiments that disproved the idea of spontaneous generation.

Louis Pasteur

A French chemist and microbiologist who also disproved the theory of spontaneous generation.

Theory of Catastrophism

The theory that multiple creations and catastrophes have occurred throughout Earth's history.

Characteristics of Living Things

The defining features of living organisms, including cells, growth, response to stimuli, interaction, reproduction, adaptation, and organization.

Metabolism

The chemical reactions that occur in living organisms, including anabolism (building up) and catabolism (breaking down).

Growth and Development

The increase in size and complex changes that occur in living organisms.

Stimuli

Signals or changes in the environment that living organisms respond to.

Homeostasis

The internal balance of the body or system of living organisms.

Interactions

The relationships and exchanges that occur among living organisms in an ecosystem.

Reproduction

The ability of living organisms to produce offspring.

Adaptation

The response to stimuli that helps in the survival of an organism.

Evolution

The gradual change in organisms over time in response to a changing environment.

Organization

The hierarchical structure of living organisms, from atoms to molecules, cells, tissues, organs, and systems.

Energy

The ability to do work.

Autotrophs

Organisms that can produce their own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.

Heterotrophs

Organisms that obtain food by consuming other organisms.

Photosynthesis

The process by which plants convert light energy into chemical energy in the form of glucose.

ATP

Adenosine triphosphate, the energy-carrying molecule used by cells.

Photosynthetic Pigments

Pigments found in photosynthetic organisms that absorb light energy for photosynthesis.

Chloroplasts

Cell organelles found in plants and algae where photosynthesis takes place.

Photosystems

Groups of molecules involved in photosynthesis.

Light-Dependent Reactions

The first stage of photosynthesis that occurs in the thylakoid of the chloroplast.

Light-Independent Reactions

The second stage of photosynthesis that occurs in the stroma of the chloroplast.

Calvin Cycle

The series of reactions in the light-independent stage of photosynthesis that converts carbon dioxide into glucose.

Carbon Fixation

The process of converting carbon dioxide into a stable six-carbon molecule.

Reduction Reactions

The step in the Calvin cycle where ATP and NADPH are used to convert 3-PGA into G3P.

Regeneration of RuBP

The final step in the Calvin cycle where remaining G3P molecules are converted back into RuBP.