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(5 BYA) Beginning of the Solar System
The solar system was a swirling mass of gas and dust -
(4.6 BYA) The Earth Grows
The Earth grew larger as gravity pulled in more debris from collisions. -
(4 BYA) The Age of the Earth
Scientists examined the surface of the Earth and it's layers to determine it's age. -
(4 BYA) First Life Forms
Archaea first populated the Earth. -
(3.5 BYA) Organisms Use Photosynthesis
Fossils of stromalites show photosynthetic qualities. -
(3 BYA) Life Forms Become Photosynthetic
Some forms of life had become photosynthetic. -
(2.2 BYA) Today's Earth is Formed
The Earth mostly looked as it does today because the colliding of space debris and emitted gasses from volcanos ceased. -
(2 BYA) Air Quality
O2 levels reached the level they are at today. -
(1.5 BYA) Prokaryotes
A small aerobic prokaryote began to live and reproduce inside a bigger, araerobic prokayote- this is known as endosymbiosis. -
(1 BYA) Ozone
Ozone (O3) formed- protects organisms from harmful UV rays so they could exist on land. -
(1 BYA) Evolution into Mitochondria
Endosymbiotic aerobic prokaryotes evolved into modern mitochondria, which perform aerobic respiration in eukaryotic cells. -
(1600-1700) Redi
Redi's experiment with flies and rotting meat first began to displace the theory of spontaneous generation, but met opposition for "blocking out the vital force", therefore his experiment was looked past by most people. -
(1700-1800) Spallanzani
Spallanzani's experiment that used broth and a microscope even further disproved spontaneous generation. -
(1800-1900) Pasteur
Pasteur won the Paris Academy of Science’s prize to clear up the debate over spontaneous generation. He used broth in curved flasks to allow any vital force in, but to keep bacteria and other things out. The broth stayed clear for 1 year, but only for a day after the curve of the tube was removed. -
(1900-present) Miller and Urey
In 1953, Stanley L. Miller and Harold C. Urey tested Oparin’s hypothesis on the condition of the formation of organic molecules on early Earth. -
(1900-present) Organic Compounds
In 1970, a newly fallen meteorite led to the finding of a mixture of organic compounds in it. -
(1900-present) RNA
In 1980, Thomas Cech found that a type of RNA is able to act as a chemical catalyst - a ribosome. -
(1900-present) Fox
Fox did research on the physical structures that may have given rise to the first cells. These structures include microspheres composed of many protein molecules that are organized into coacervates, composed of different types of molecules. They can form spontaneously under certain conditions, different than previously assumed. -
(1900-present) Simple Organic Compounds
Since the 1950s there have been scientists attempting to test and revise hypotheses about the origin of simple organic compounds. They have produced amino acids, ATP, and nucelotides. -
(1900-present)
New hypotheses on Earth's atmosphere. Some believe it was composed of CO2, N2, and H2O. -
(1900-present) Oparin and Haldane
Oparin and Haldane wanted to know how and where elements assembled into organic compounds. They thought that the early atmosphere may have contained ammonia, hydrogen gas, water vapor, and compounds made of hydrogen and carbon, such as methane. They thought that when water cooled, these organic compounds collected in the water, which would then go into different reactions, ending up in essential macromolecules.
