Origin of Life Worksheet
Explore the scientific theories and evidence surrounding the origin of life on Earth, including early Earth conditions, abiogenesis, and key experiments.
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Origin of Life: Exploring Early Earth
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Read each question carefully and provide thoughtful answers based on your knowledge of the origin of life.
1. Which of the following gases was thought to be largely absent from Earth's early atmosphere?
Methane
Ammonia
Oxygen (O2)
Water vapor
2. The Miller-Urey experiment demonstrated that:
Life originated from extraterrestrial sources.
Complex organic molecules could form from inorganic precursors.
RNA is more stable than DNA.
Photosynthesis was the first metabolic pathway.
3. The hypothesis that life originated from non-living matter is called .
4. The early Earth's atmosphere was considered a atmosphere due to the absence of free oxygen.
5. According to the RNA world hypothesis, molecules could have stored genetic information and catalyzed chemical reactions.
6. Describe the conditions on early Earth that are hypothesized to have been favorable for the abiotic synthesis of organic molecules.
7. Explain the significance of hydrothermal vents in the context of the origin of life.
8. The first forms of life on Earth were complex multicellular organisms.
True
False
9. The Miller-Urey experiment proved that life spontaneously generated in their apparatus.
True
False
10. Observe the diagram of the Miller-Urey experiment below. Label the components indicated by the arrows.
A:
B:
C:
D: