NON-PRINT LEARNING MATERIAL FOR LROW

Grade 11/12 General Biology 2

INTRODUCTION
Quarter and Week Number: Quarter 3 Week 2 A
Activity Title: “How Life Began on Earth”
MELCs: Describe general features of the history of life on Earth, including
generally accepted dates and sequence of the geologic time scale and
characteristics of major groups of organisms present during these time
periods. STEM_BIO11/12-IIIc-g-8
Learning Targets: Determine the different hypothesis/theories on how life began on earth.
Content Developer:
Content Creator: Irrah Sheene D. Bucong
Illustrator/s:
Evaluator/s:

Pre-Test
Direction: Choose the letter of the best answer from the given choices. (Note: Format is similar with Kahoot)
1. What hypothesis discusses that complex organic molecules may have been carried by cosmic dusts here on earth?
a. Neogenesis
b. Divine Creation
c. Spontaneous Origin
d. Extraterrestrial Origin
2. Which pair of scientists had the first attempt to determine what kind of organic molecules could have risen on early
earth?
a. Miller and Urey
b. Watson and Crick
c. Oparin and Haldane
d. Hiesenberg and Thompson
3. Who suggested in 1988 that amino acids may have been the result of iron, nickel and some sulfuric acids?
a. Haldane
b. Miller
c. Oparin
d. Wachtershauser
4. Student Z placed a ripe banana on a table, he observed after a few minutes that fruit flies started to appear. If this
activity was conducted a few hundred years ago, what theory of life’s origin could it have supported?
a. Divine Creation
b. Extraterrestrial Origin
c. Spontaneous Origin
d. None of the Above
5. Life forms may have been placed on earth by supernatural or divine forces. The hypothesis that a divine God
created life is at the core of most major religions.
a. Neogenesis
b. Divine Creation
c. Spontaneous Origin
d. Extraterrestrial Origin

ENGAGEMENT
Review (A Space-Time Odyssey in the Multiverse)
Direction: You are a time traveler and today, you will go back in time in different universes and discuss different possibilities
of how life started. Choose your answer from the box below.

Extraterrestrial Origin Spontaneous Origin

Divine Creation Big Bang Theory

1. This is the oldest among life’s

origin theories and the most
accepted among others. It may
vary on the practice of a
religion, but its commonality is YOUR ANSWER HERE
that a Divine God created life.

2. Meteorites contains amino

acids, nucleotide bases and
sugar. Hundreds of thousands
of meteorites and comets are
known to have fell into the YOUR ANSWER HERE
early earth, suggesting that it
may contain some organic
materials.

3. The idea that living matter

may arise from non-living
matter. These are based on YOUR ANSWER HERE
early observations such as the
appearance of maggots in
rotting meat, mice on corn and
fish from mud of previously
dry lakes.

Lesson Presentation
ORIGIN OF LIFE

Where do you suppose it all started? Where did life first begin? It is difficult to determine how life first began because it is
not feasible to travel in time and see life’s creation and besides, there were no eyewitnesses yet. But, the earth's rocks will
act as a witness. However, scientists and geologists are still having difficulty to finding answers to all our questions.
However today, you will research the hypotheses and supporting data on the origin of life on Earth.
Different Theories/Hypotheses on how Life started here on Earth
1. Special Creation/Divine Creation. Life forms may have been placed on earth by supernatural or divine forces. The
hypothesis that a divine God created life is at the core of most major religions.
2. Extraterrestrial Origin. This hypothesis, also referred as panspermia, proposes that meteors or cosmic dusts may have
carried significant amounts of complex organic molecules to earth, kicking off the evolution of life. It is hypothesized that an
early source of carbonaceous material is extraterrestrial, although not yet proven.
3. Spontaneous Origin. Most scientists accept the hypothesis of spontaneous origin – that life evolved from inanimate
matter as associations among molecules became more and more complex. As changes in molecules increased their
stability and caused them to persist longer, these molecules could initiate more and more complex associations, culminating
in the evolution of cells.
Many ideas have been developed based on this hypothesis about where on earth life first appeared:
3.a. At the ocean’s edge. Life may arise from the constantly forming bubbles at the edge of the ocean as suggested by
some scientists.
3.b. Under frozen oceans. Just like Jupiter’s moon, Europa, it is hypothesized that life originated under a frozen ocean.
3.c. Deep in the earth’s crust. Life may have formed as a by-product of volcanic activity where sulfuric minerals, iron and
nickel recombine. It is suggested by Gunter Wachtershauser in 1988 and works of fellow scientists’ shows that these
chemical combinations are able to form precursors of amino acids which can be later linked to peptides.
3.d. Within clay. The silicate surface chemistry was hypothesized by some researchers, emphasizing the positive charges of
clay surface that may attract organic molecules and providing potential catalytic surface where life’s early chemistry may
have occurred.
3.e. At deep sea vents. Another hypothesis is that life originated at deep sea vents where the necessary prebiotic molecules
are synthesized by metal sulfides in the vents. The positive charge of sulfides may have attract the negative charge of
biological molecules.

An early attempt to see what kinds of organic molecules might have been produced on the early earth was carried
out by Stanley L. Miller and Harold C. Urey in 1953.
 To carry out this experiment, Miller and Urey (1) assembled a reducing atmosphere rich in hydrogen and excluding
gaseous oxygen; (2) placed this atmosphere over liquid water; (3) maintained this mixture at a temperature of 100 ᵒC; and
(4) stimulated lightning by bombarding it with energy in form of sparks.
Within a week, a variety of organic molecules were formed including amino acids common in living things. Among
the compounds were formaldehyde (𝐶𝐻2𝑂) and hydrogen cyanide (𝐻𝐶𝑁). These compounds form to make simple
molecules such as formic acid (𝐻𝐶𝑂𝑂𝐻) and urea (𝑁𝐻2 𝐶𝑂𝑁𝐻2).
This experiment is conducted to test the theory of Aleksandr Oparin and J. B. S. Haldane that life on Earth came
from non-living matter through a step-by-step process, starting from simple monomers to complex proteins.

APPLICATION (Use H5P Fill in the Blanks)

Directions: To make the statement below true and complete, please add the missing word or words.

Numerous theories speculate on the potential origins of life.

Some says that life forms may have been placed on earth by supernatural or
________________. The hypothesis that a divine God created life is at the core of most
major religions. Others claim that ________________ or cosmic dusts may have carried
significant amounts of complex organic molecules to earth, kicking off the evolution of life. It
is hypothesized that an early source of carbonaceous material is ________________,
although not yet proven. While others like scientists strongly believe that life evolved from
________________ as associations among molecules became more and more complex.
As changes in molecules increased their stability and caused them to persist longer, these
molecules could initiate more and more complex associations, culminating in the evolution
of cells. Many ideas have been developed based on this hypothesis, one claimed that life
may have formed as a by-product of ________________ where sulfuric minerals, iron and
nickel recombine. It is suggested by ________________ in 1988 and works of fellow
scientists’ shows that these chemical combinations are able to form precursors of
________________ which can be later linked to ________________.

CONSOLIDATION (Use H5P Essay, Limit to 200 characters)

Directions: Briefly discuss your stand on how life came into being.

YOUR ANSWER HERE

EVALUATION
Direction: Choose the letter of the best answer from the given choices. (Note: Format is similar with Kahoot)
1. What hypothesis discusses that complex organic molecules may have been carried by cosmic dusts here on earth?
a. Neogenesis
b. Divine Creation
c. Spontaneous Origin
d. Extraterrestrial Origin
 2. Which pair of scientists had the first attempt to determine what kind of organic molecules could have risen on early
earth?
a. Miller and Urey
b. Watson and Crick
c. Oparin and Haldane
d. Hiesenberg and Thompson
3. Who suggested in 1988 that amino acids may have been the result of iron, nickel and some sulfuric acids?
a. Haldane
b. Miller
c. Oparin
d. Wachtershauser
4. Student Z placed a ripe banana on a table, he observed after a few minutes that fruit flies started to appear. If this
activity was conducted a few hundred years ago, what theory of life’s origin could it have supported?
a. Divine Creation
b. Extraterrestrial Origin
c. Spontaneous Origin
d. None of the Above
5. Life forms may have been placed on earth by supernatural or divine forces. The hypothesis that a divine God
created life is at the core of most major religions.
a. Neogenesis
b. Divine Creation
c. Spontaneous Origin
d. Extraterrestrial Origin

Answer Key:

Pre-Test/Evaluation
1. D
2. C
3. D
4. C
5. B

Engagement
Review
1. DIVINE CREATION
2. EXTRATERRESTRIAL ORIGIN
3. SPONTANEOUS ORIGIN

Application
1. divine forces
2. meteors
3. extraterrestrial
4. inanimate matter
5. volcanic activity
6. Gunter Wachtershauser
7. amino acids
8. peptides

REFERENCE/S: (Chicago Format)

Javier, Mark Archei O. Diwa Senior High School Series: General Biology 2. 4/F SEDCCO 1 Bldg. 120 Thailand corner
Legazpi Streets, Legaspi Village, 1229 Makati City: DIWA LEARNING SYSTEMS INC, 2017.