Senior High School

Earth and Life

Science
Quarter 2 - Module 9
Introduction to Life Science

Department of Education ● Republic of the Philippines

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 What This Module is About
We live in a vast universe that we have only begun to explore. So far,
we only know that the only planet that has life is Earth. Furthermore,
biochemical, genetic, and metabolic similarities among the Earth’s species imply that all
evolved from a common ancestor that lived billion years ago. There are many things that
confuse the people like what properties of the ancient Earth allowed life to arise, survive,
and diversify? And could these possibly occur in the other planets.

This module will introduce the evidences of the past which will include the people
who worked on theories and made some discoveries out of their works and studies. This
is aimed at introducing the historical development of the concept of life and the origin of
the first life forms with unifying themes in the study of life. You will be able to know also
the origin of the universe and earth through scientific explanation that provides evidences.
This chapter will also allow you to value life by taking good care of all beings,
humans, plant, and animals.

You will be guided with symbols (icons) used as you go about in the completion of
this module. Lastly, this module contains varied activities that can help you as a Senior
High School student to be aware not only of the geologic and marine processes on earth
especially in the locality but also a responsible preserver and human being who is
concerned with the environment.

The following are the lessons contained in this module:

1. Theories about the beginning of the Universe
2. Concept about life

What I Need to Know

At the end of this module, you should be able to:
1. Examine new theories proposed by researchers about the evolution of
the natural world;
2. Explain the evolving concept of life based on emerging pieces of
evidence;
3. Study and analyse the diagram.

How to Learn from this Module

To achieve the objectives cited above, you are to do the following:
• Take your time reading the lessons carefully.
• Follow the directions and/or instructions in the activities and exercises diligently.
• Answer all the given tests and exercises.

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What I Know
Pretest

1. All living organisms are able to:

A. Use energy to work.
B. Grow and change
C. Use their senses to their environment
D. All of the above

2. Science is basically based on

A. Opinion
B. Beliefs
C. Consensus
D. Evidences

3. A theory is
A. An observation on something in the natural world
B. A testable hypothesis or prediction that is potentially falsifiable
C. An experimental procedure of many observations, facts and results
D. A belief shared with many scientists agreeing on the topic

4. The movement of material from a high concentration to lesser concentration is called

A. Osmosis
B. Photosynthesis
C. Respiration
D. Diffusion
5. The process by which cells reproduce is
A. Diffusion
B. Osmosis
C. Cell division
D. Respiration

6. The cell structures that break down food to produce energy are the
A. Vacuoles
B. Chloroplasts
C. Ribosomes
D. Mitochondria
7. Animals have the following except
A. Cell wall
B. Ribosomes
C. Mitochondria
1 D. Cell membrane
8. Plants have the following except
A. Vacuoles
B. Ribosomes
C. Cell walls
D. Mitochondria
9. Oxygen is carried throughout the body by
A. Red blood cells
B. White blood cells
C. Plasma
D. Guard cells

10. Which of the following works as the brain of the cell?

A. Lysosomes
B. Nucleolus
C. Nucleus
D. Mitochondria

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 Evidences and Processes of
Lesson Evolution

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What I Need to Know
How do we define life? We simply describe life as easy as it is recognised
to be but often much harder to define it. Animals and Plants are organisms that we
consider to have life and what is common with these 2 is that both are made up of
cells which can be unicellular or multicellular depending to which descendant an
organism belongs. There are different characteristics of life and these are nutrition,
reproduction, excretion, growth, movement, respiration, and sensitivity. Several
attempts have been made from time to time to explain on the origin of the Earth
and how life really began. As a result, people have come up with different theories
providing their own explanation on the possible mechanism on the origin of life.
This chapter is your introduction to a slice through time. We begin with Earth’s
formation and move on to life’s chemical origins and the evolution of traits present
in modern eukaryotes.

What’s New
Activity 1: My Own Origin of the Earth

You will be asked to make a simple diagram or sketch on how the universe and the
earth was formed. Write a short explanation of your drawing on a separate piece of
paper. Criteria will be provided below.

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Neatness-15 points
Creativity- 30 points
Relevance -15 points
Information- 20 points
Concept- 20 points

100 points

What Is It
• Origin of the Universe and Earth

There were many theories inferred by different scientists on the origin of the universe.
Few of these are the Theory of Special Creation, Theory of Spontaneous Generation,
Theory of Biogenesis, Theory of Biochemical Evolution, Theory of Panspermia , and Deep
Sea hydrothermal vent theory. These theories may have or may have not scientific basis.
Some believed that organisms were put to Earth by some divine forces while others
say that life did not originate from Earth but from other celestial bodies. Among the
scientists, the most accepted theory is that life came from lifeless matter. According to
the primordial soup theory proposed by Alexander Oparin and John Haldane, that life
started in a primordial soup of organic molecules. Some form of energy from lightning
combined with the chemicals in the atmosphere to make the amino acids (the building
block of proteins.
Studies of the modern universe allow astronomers and physicists to propose and test
ideas about its origin. According to the big bang theory the universe began in a single
instant, about 13 to 15 billion years ago. In that silent expansion, all existing matter and
energy suddenly appeared and exploded outward from a single point. Simple elements
such as hydrogen and helium formed within minutes. Then over millions of years, gravity
drew the gases together and they condensed to form giant stars. The explosions of the
early stars scattered heavier elements which formed into galaxies. Five billion years ago,
a cloud of dust and rocks (asteroids) orbited the star which is known as the sun. When
the asteroids collided with another asteroids, it merged into bigger asteroids. The heavier
these pre-planetary objects became, the more gravitational pull they exerted, and the
more material they gathered. About 4.6 billion years ago, this gradual build-up of materials
had formed Earth and other planets of our solar system.

What’s More

Activity 2: The Big Bang Theory

The Big Bang theory suggests that our Universe is expanding. In this
activity students will explore a model to see whether evidence exists to support this. For
the theory to be supported students should find that
1. All objects in our Universe must be moving away from each other.
2. Objects that are further away from us are moving away from us more
quickly than objects that are close to us.

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Materials needed

Balloon/Cellophane
Marker
Needle
Measuring Tape

Instruction

1. Inflate the balloon partially.

2. Fold and clip it so the air does not escape.
3. Draw six to eight spaced dots on the balloon using a marker.
4. Label the dots with CAPITAL LETTERS
5. Using the ruler or measuring tape, measure in distance, in mm, from Dot A to
each of the other dots.
6. Record your measurements in the Table provided below under initial
measurements.
7. Remove the clothespin and inflate the balloon some more.
8. Observe what happens the dots you drew
9. Make sure balloon is tightly closed to prevent the deflation . measure the
distance from Dot A to each of the other dots.
10. Record your data on the second column of the table.
11. Repeat the steps of number 7 to 10 two or 3 more times.

Table 1.1 Distance of Dot A - G

Balloon Initial
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3
Point Measurement
A
B
5 C
D
E
F
G
Average

Follow-up Questions:

1. How is the model similar to reality and how is it different?

2. Does the model prove the Big Bang Theory? Explain you answer.

3. What do dots represent in your model?

4. From your observation, which distance changed the most?

5. From your observation, which distance changed the least?

6. What can you conclude from the experiment you have done?
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 What Is It
The Common Ancestor of All Life

All living things are made up of cells. Some are unicellular and some are
multicellular. Unicellular organisms that are mostly known are paramecium, amoeba,
bacteria, and yeast. The multicellular cells include animal cells, plant cells, and the human
body and germ cells. Given what scientists know about relationships among modern
species. Most assume that this common ancestor was prokaryotic, meaning it did not
have a nucleus. There was a scarcity of oxygen during the early Earth so the ancestral
cell must also have been anaerobic meaning capable of living without oxygen.
What are the evidences to prove such statement? Looking for and finding signs of
early cells poses a challenge. Cells are microscopic and cannot be seen through our
naked eye and is difficult to fossilize. Furthermore, few ancient rocks that could hold early
fossils still exist. Tectonic plate movements have destroyed nearly all rocks older than
about 4 million years, most slightly younger rocks have been heated that destroy traces
of biological material. Structures formed by nonbiological mechanisms sometimes
resemble fossils. To avoid mistakes on accepting materials like genuine fossils, scientists
repeatedly analyse purported fossil finds and they often question one another’s
conclusion.

The Oldest Fossil Cells

The divergence that separated the two prokaryotic domains, Bacteria and
Archaea, occurred very rarely in the history of life, and no fossils from before this
divergence have been discovered.
It has been studied that the first form of life is believed to have appeared 3.5 billion
years ago. Palaeontologists are the scientists who
study fossils found microscopic living cells known as
microfossils in rocks that formed 3.5 billion years ago
after Earth cooled and solidified using radioisotope
dating (which uses radioactive materials such as the
radioactive components of potassium-argon). The
microfossils’ filaments found in Western Australia
resemble chains of modern photosynthetic bacteria Example of microfossils of sulphur-metabolizing cells in
and the rocks in which they occur are thought to be 3.4-billion-year-old rocks of Western Australia
remains of ancient stromatolites which are
mounded, layered structure that forms in shallow sunlit water when a mat of
photosynthetic bacteria traps minerals and sediment. These stromatolites increases in
size over time as new layers form over the old. These organisms have been so abundant
1.25 billion years ago and were common worldwide.
Many types of bacteria carry out photosynthesis, but only one group,
cyanobacteria, do so by an oxygen-producing pathway. The microfossils of
cyanobacteria were among the easiest to recognize. The forms of these organisms were
remained the same and left chemical fossils in the form of broken products from
pigments. The first microfossil that showed remains of organisms with differences in
structure and characteristics was seen 1.5 billion years ago on the rocks. They are bigger
compared to bacteria and have internal membranes and thicker wall. These findings

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marked the beginning of eukaryotic organisms on Earth. The evolution of oxygen-
producing photosynthesis in cyanobacteria had started on early life. About 2.5 billion
years ago, oxygen released by these bacteria had begun to accumulate in Earth’s air and
creating a new, global selection pressure. Other species considered oxygen as toxic thus
evolved gradually in its absence.
How did multicellular organisms evolve?
Multicellular organisms are believed to have evolved from unicellular eukaryotes
and until now it is the concept that we believe. Some single eukaryotic cells, like
unicellular algae, formed multicellular aggregates through association with another cell
producing colonies. From colonial aggregates, the organisms evolved in order to form
multicellular organisms through cell specialization. Organisms like protozoans, sponges,
and fungi came to being. The first fossilized animals which were discovered 580 million
years ago were soft-bodied. The continuous process of cell specialization brought the
emergence of complex and diverse plants and animals, including human beings. Charles
Darwin said that organisms change over time as a result of adaptation to their
environment in order to survive.

Rise of the Eukaryotes

Nucleus is not often preserved during fossilization but other traits provide
evidence that a fossilized cell was eukaryotic. These eukaryotic cells are generally larger
than the prokaryotic cells. A cell wall with complex patterns, spines, or spikes probably
belonged to a eukaryote. Researchers and scientists also look for biomarkers (substance
that occurs only or predominantly in cells of a specific type) for each eukaryotes just like
the steroids found present only to eukaryotes.

Difference between Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes

Prokaryotic Cell Eukaryotic Cell
‘pro’= pre, ‘karyon’=nucleus ‘eu’ = true , ‘karyon’= nucleus
Originated about 3.5 billion years ago Originated about 1.2 billion years ago
Primitive forms Advanced
Unicellular Multicellular
Developing nucleus True nucleus present
Small in size Larger in Size
Non-bounded membrane Membrane-bounded

Fig. 2. A diagram of a Eukaryotic and Prokaryotic Cell.

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 ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION EUKARYOTES

Organelle Origin
▪ Nucleus - The DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) of the prokaryotes lies on
unenclosed in the cell’s cytoplasm while the DNA of the
eukaryotes are enclosed with an endomembrane (group of
members and organelles). The nucleus and
endomembrane system evolve when plasma membrane of
an ancestral prokaryote folded inward (See fig.3)
▪ Mitochondria - Mitochondria and chloroplasts resemble bacteria in their
and Chloroplast size and shape, and they replicate independently of the cell
that holds them. Bacteria have their own DNA in the form of
a singular chromosome and have at least two outer
membranes and innermost membrane similar to bacterial
plasma membrane.
- Recognition to their similarities led to endosymbiotic
hypothesis which states that mitochondria and chloroplast
both evolved from bacteria.
- Endosymbiosis – “living inside” and refers to a relationship
on which one organism lives inside another. Given the
mitochondria and chloroplasts evolved from bacteria,
scientists are now studying which modern bacteria are the
closest of these organelles. Based from their studies,
metabolic and genetic similarities between organelles and
specific bacterial groups are considered to be evidence of
shared ancestry.

Other Organelles Description

▪ Ribosomes - Makes protein
▪ Golgi Apparatus - Makes and does the packaging and processing of proteins
▪ Lysosomes - It contains enzymes to help break the food down
▪ Endoplasmic - Transports items around the cekk
Reticulum
▪ Vacuole - For water or food storage
▪ Chloroplasts - Present in plants only; uses sunlight to make food through
photosynthesis
▪ Cell wall - Rigid; supports the cell

Figure 3. Steps in the Evolution of eukaryotic organelles.

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 What’s More
Activity 3: Answer the Riddle!
Given the concept of the evolution of prokaryotes and the organelles. Find the
secret message by answering the questions below. Choose your answer from the table
then write the corresponding letter to the boxes below to answer of the riddle: Did you hear the
one about a chemist who was reading a book about helium?

Nucleus Cell Lysosomes Chloroplast Endoplasmic Ribosomes Mitochondria

Membrane Reticulum
P C D L N U O
Vacuole Animal Chromosomes Cytoplasm Golgi Nucleolus Cell Wall
Cell Apparatus
U T T H I E T
Unicellular Eukaryotic Prokaryotic Multicellular
D W N O

1) It is a jelly-like fluid structure inside the cell that provides an area of movement for all
dissolved molecules that keep the cell working.
2) A structure found in the nucleus that helps produce ribosomes.
3) It is a thin layer around the cell but not a rigid one. It has openings to allow transportation
and exchange of materials.
4) When a cell needs energy, it brings in nutrients and break it down and supply energy to
the cell.
5) Cell storage.
6) It helps produce food for plants and absorbs light energy from the sun and use it to convert
C02 and H20 into sugar and oxygen.
7) It is the digestive system in an animal cell because it contains enzymes that break down
wastes and other materials.
8) These build proteins in the cell and can be found in several places in the cells which
includes in the cytosol and on the endoplasmic reticulum.
9) They do the DNA synthesis and direct the genetic information of the cell. These are made
of DNA and found in the nucleus and usually in pairs.
10) Brain of the cell.
11) An organelle that serves as the transport system.
12) It is only found in the plant cells that support the plat which is also made of specialized
sugar called cellulose.
13) It gathers molecules and make them more complex. It also stores them or send them into
the cytosol or out of the cell. This organelle also processes the proteins produced by the
endoplasmic reticulum and ribosomes.
14) It does not contain cell wall.
15) An organism made up of one cell.
16) Organism composed of many cells
17) An organism that lacks nucleus
18) An organism with true nucleus.

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Question:

Did you hear the one about a chemist who was reading a book about helium?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 17 12

10 10 8 14 13 9

15 16 18 11

Answer: _______________________________________________________

What’s New
Activity 4: What an Amazing Life!

Think of the things that a living organism can do. Draw a living organism at the
center of the simple web concept map. Then write the characteristics of life on the circles
on the side (one each box) . You may answer in phrase or word. Example: Movement,
Reproduction

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 What is It

Biology is the study of life. Life does not only involve the living things
itself only but also includes its deepest characteristics. There are many characteristics
of life and some of these will be discussed below.
This is an important introduction on how you define a living from a non-living for
you to simply know how important life is.

7 Basic Characteristics of Life

1. Nutrition
2. Reproduction
3. Excretion
4. Growth
5. Movement
6. Respiration
7. Sensitivity

Life Characteristic Definition/Example

Sensitivity Living things are able to respond to the
environment through a stimulus. Irritability
is an example. Another example is a living
thing’s response to light by facing the sun
and sweating as our body response to
heat which is also connected to excretion.
Reproduction Unicellular organisms reproduce by DNA
replication and dividing equally as the
new cell prepares to form two new cells
while multicellular organisms often
reproduce using its gametes in order to
form new individuals. When there is
reproduction, genes with DNA will passed
from generation to generation to ensure
that the offspring belong to the same
species having similar characteristics.
Growth and Development Organisms grow and develop according to
its genes that gives instruction that will
direct the cellular growth and development
ensure that the offspring will grow up and
exhibit many of the same characteristics
as its parents. Mitosis and meiosis play an
important role in this matter.
Nutrition Living things take in minerals and food
from the environment in order to survive
and grow. It is the process of which
organism obtain energy and raw materials

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 from nutrients such as fats, carbohydrates
and proteins.
Respiration Respiration is the process in which the
energy from the food eaten is being
released in al living cells. Organisms break
down the food within their cells with a
specific process to carry out the following
processes.
Movement All living things move. Animals move from
one place to another. Plants also move but
not as usually observable than animals.
Plants move in different ways in order to
grow and their movement may be so slow
that people cannot even recognize. A
makahiya leaf being touched is an
example of movement through
thigmotrophism
Excretion All living things also excrete but in different
ways. Excretion is the result of many
chemical reactions happening in cells
which they have to remove the waste
products which might poison the cells.
Excretion is the removal of toxic minerals
in excess from the organism.

What’s More
Activity 5: Case Analysis
With the given concept above, answer the following situations with the
characteristics of life. Write your answer on the second table.

Statement Characteristic of Life

Jannine married Frank after dating for four
years. After 2 months, Jannine thought she
Reproduction
just had difficulty having menstruation then
she found out she was pregnant.
You throw a piece of seed into your backyard.
After a few weeks, there was a seedling
started to grow.
Stomata are small openings present on plant
leaves. On a hot dry day, the stomatal
openings remain closed to reduce the loss of
water. Which characteristic of living things is
described here?
Puppies have inherited genes from both
parents and share many of the same
characteristics.
eggs—tadpoles—adult frogs
Snakes shed their skin.

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 Mary was running fast because she was late
in her Biology class. When she entered the
classroom, she was sweating a lot.
pollen carried from flower to flower
A triathlon ate plenty of fruits and vegetable
as a preparation for his competition next
week.
Guttation in plants gradually happen.

What Have I Learned

Activity 6: Synthesizing your Learning

Answer the following questions based on your learning. Be brief and

concise.

1. Base from your opinion, why do we need to study the beginning of the universe? Give
at least five (5) reasons.

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

2. From the seven characteristics of life, choose top three which you consider as
important characteristics of life. Explain why to each of the characteristic below.
a.
b.
c.

3. Based from what you learned on the beginning of the universe until how life began,
which among the topics struck you the most that gave you realizations. Explain.

What Can I Do
We learned that bacteria are unicellular and
can be either be benefited by humans or
endanger humans. Your activity is to fill in “the hands” some
ways to keep yourself away from being infected by some
bacteria or virsues especially during the pandemic. Color “the
hand”. At the center of the hand, make your own
slogan about the importance of hygiene and
hand washing.

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Post-Assessment

1. According to the big bang theory, ________________.

A. the universe expanded out from a single point
B. Earth and our sun formed simultaneously
C. carbon and oxygen were the first elemements to form
D. all of the above.
2. The first eukaryotes were ___________.
A. Fungi
B. Planrs
C. Protists
D. Animals

3. Evidence that Mars ____ suggests that It may have supported or still supports life.
A. has an ozone layer
B. has water
C. is about the same size as Earth
D. all of the above

4. The evolution of _______ resulted in the increase in the levels of atmospheric oxygen.
A. DNA-based genomes
B. aerobic respiration
C. sexual reproduction
D. photosynthesis that releases oxygen

5. Bacteria that cause the disease typhus are close relatives of bacteria evolved into ______.
A. protists
B. protocells
C. chloroplasts
D. mitochondria

6. An RNA that functions as an enzyme is a ___________.

A. protein
B. protocell
C. ribosome
D. ribozyme

7. A stromatolite is a structure ____________.

A. Produced by endosymbiosis
B. That formed only on the early Earth
C. Consisting of layered bacteria and sediment
D. That expels hot water from deep in the Earth

8. _________ refers to the sum of chemical reactions of an organism.

A. Photosynthesis
B. Respiration
C. Metabolism
D. Homeostasis

9. It is the ability of living things to produce new individuals closely resembles them.
A. Excretion
B. Reproduction
C. Respiration
D. Creation

10. It is a theory stating that the beginning of the universe was due to a supreme being creating the
planets, galaxies, asteroids and other heavenly bodies

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