HISTORY OF LIFE

ON EARTH
PREPARED BY GROUP 8
Where did life begin?
Let us consider the condition of primordial or “young” Earth. It is not the
same as its structure today, there are still no plants, trees, and breath-taking
sceneries. There are only an atmosphere and places for water and ground. The
condition is still too harsh because the earth is only starting to develop its
landmasses and structures.

But the scientists were sure that at the beginning of life on Earth, there are
atmospheric events taking places such as storms and thunders. This is because
of
the chemical reactions occurring between the surface, atmosphere, and inner
part of the very active “young” Earth.
Deep-Sea Vents and the Miller-Urey Experiment
It is likely proven in theory and DNA evidence correlation that deep-sea vent is
WHERE life began, but can scientists prove it through experiment? The
answer is YES! Miller and Urey are scientists who conducted a simple
experiment, that yielded very helpful findings in answering questions about
how life
began on Earth.
How did Life begin and What is the earliest life form on Earth?
You have learned from the experiment of Miller and Urey that because of
the chemical reactions occurring between the sea and the atmosphere of
the “young” Earth, organic compounds such as amino acids developed and
became present along with different water areas on Earth through the
water cycle.
Let us trace the development of the most likely earliest life form on Earth:

1. Organic Compounds -these are molecules linked with life and

developed through reactions between atmospheric processes and
the watery area of Earth.
2. RNA -the resulting molecule when organic compounds selfassembled
into a self-replicating molecule.
3. Pre-cells -resulted when self-replicating RNA enclosed itself in a
membrane to protect itself from the outside environment
4.Primitive Cells -these are pre-cells with improved function
through the process of evolution

5.Modern Cell -as the cells choose to fit itself for survival, it
developed into a structure which is familiar to us today, a cell with
a DNA genome.
If the History of the Earth is a book, then the ROCKS are its pages. Pieces of
evidence that tells the story of the distant past of the Earth and the life that had
once
walked through it are found and are preserved on its rocks. Fossils, which may be
actual remains of organisms such as bones, teeth, shells, and leaves, or even traces
of their past activities such as footprints and nests, are usually as old as the rocks
where they were embedded or imprinted. These fossils and evidence were analysed

using the following dating techniques:

1. Absolute Dating- obtaining the actual age of the fossils and rock through
radiometric dating or the use of the concept of half-life and the radioactive decay of
elements.

2. Relative Dating- obtaining the relative age of the rocks or samples, it

does not tell the actual age but only uses some principles of comparison which are
as follows:

a. Law of Superposition- which states that the youngest rocks are found on
top of the layers and the oldest rocks are found on the bottom
b. Law of Original Horizontality- sedimentation or layering of the rocks
occur horizontally; if tilting, breaking, or folding of rocks or its layer occur,
it happened recently after the horizontal layering.
c. Law of Cross-Cutting Relationship- if the rocks under investigation have
a cut from igneous rock intrusions, then the intrusions or fault breaks are
younger than the rock being investigated.
The GEOLOGIC TIME SCALE
Now that you gained the insight on how scientists read the history of the Earth, it is the time to list down all of the
life forms that they have unearthed through time; from the very distant past of the origin of life into the present.
To do that we will use the geologic time scale. Geologic Time Scale is a representation of the life forms that have
lived and dominated the Earth on a specific time scale. Geologic is the combination of the word geologic and
chronologic, which means rock and time, respectively. The geologic timescale is divided into the following
partitions:

Eon- largest division of the geologic time scale; spans hundreds to thousands
of millions of years ago (mya)
Era- division in an Era that span time periods of tens to hundreds of millions
of years
Period- a division of geologic history that spans no more than one hundred
million years
Epoch- the smallest division of the geologic time scale characterized by
distinctive organisms.
PRECAMBRIAN: HADEAN EON
The Hadean Eon is
characterized by Earth’s initial
formation—from the
accretion of dust and gases
and the frequent collisions of
larger planetesimals—and by
the stabilization of its core
and crust and the development
of its atmosphere and oceans.
Earth’s surface was incredibly unstable during the early part of
the Hadean Eon. Convection currents in the mantle brought
molten rock to the surface and caused cooling rock to descend
into magmatic seas. Heavier elements, such as iron, descended
to become the core, whereas lighter elements, such as silicon,
rose and became incorporated into the growing crust. Although
no one knows when the first outer crust of the planet formed,
some scientists believe that the existence of a few grains of
zircon dated to about 4.4 billion years ago confirm the presence
of stable continents, liquid water, and surface temperatures that
were probably less than 100 °C (212 °F)
PRECAMBRIAN:ARCHAEN EON
From 4.6 to 4.0 billion years ago, the
Hadean Eon was a violent time in Earth’s
geologic history. But in the Archean Eon,
Earth finally starts to cool down with a
more stable climate. Earth started
cooling down. Rocks are formed from
magma, water bodies formed. In the
Lower Archean eon, about four billion
years ago, no protoctists, plants, animals,
or fungi existed, only the metabolically
diverse bacteria.
Some of the major highlights of the Archean Eon include:

• OCEANS AND CONTINENTS: Because Earth cooled down, it was able to support oceans
and continents.

• BANDED IRON FORMATIONS: Next, oxygen filled the oceans from cyanobacteria.
Interestingly, most of the world’s iron ore deposits were produced in this eon from banded iron
formation.

• OZONE LAYER: Eventually, the ozone layer forms. This layer of protection was essential for life
to form.
• Earth has its first oceans
Earth began cooling in the Archean Eon. And because it was cool enough, water could finally condense to
form its first oceans. This was in a large part because the moon stabilized Earth’s climate giving it seasons.

• The first tectonic activity builds continents

This resonates with the fact that Earth’s crust was cooling in the Archean Eon. This cooler climate allowed the
formation of continents because the lithosphere became more stable.Also because plate tectonics are necessary for
building continents, this means tectonic activity was present in this eon.

The Archean Eon marked a time when Earth’s climate began to stabilize.Earth cooled down from its
molten state. It eventually could support oceans. Tectonic activity built continents.In the Archean Eon,
oxygen filled in the atmosphere, and most of the world’s iron ore was deposited. Because the Earth’s
conditions stabilized, eukaryotic and multicellular life could finally emerge in the Proterozoic Eon.
 PRECAMBRIAN: PROTEROZOIC EON

During the Proterozoic Eon, modern plate

tectonics became active, and the ancient cores of
the continents moved over wide areas of the • Algae and bacteria populate.
globe, accumulating smaller fragments of crust • Super continent Rodinia
and sometimes colliding with other large
landmasses. The opposite also happened, leading
to continental rifting.
Proterozoic Eon, Younger of the two divisions of Precambrian time,
from 2.5 billion to 541 million years ago. Proterozoic rocks have been
identified on all the continents and often constitute important sources of
metallic ores, notably of iron, gold, copper, uranium, and nickel. The
many small protocontinents formed during early Precambrian time
coalesced into a single, large landmass known as Columbia toward the
middle of the Proterozoic. Columbia later broke apart, and the fragments
recoalesced into the continental assemblage known as Rodinia toward
the end of the eon. Rocks of the Proterozoic Eon contain many traces of
primitive life-forms, such as the fossil remains of bacteria, blue-green
algae (see cyanobacteria), and soft-bodied multicellular organisms.
PHANEROZOIC EON: PALEOZOIC ERA From the Greek for “ancient life,” it is the
first era of the Phanerozoic Eon and is
followed by the Mesozoic Era. It is divided
into six periods: (from oldest to youngest) the
Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian,
Carboniferous, and Permian. During the early
Paleozoic, much of North America was
covered by a warm, shallow sea with many
coral reefs. Fossils from this time include
marine invertebrates and primitive fish; the
plants were predominantly algae, with some
mosses and ferns. During the late Paleozoic,
huge, swampy forest regions covered much of
the northern continents. Plant and animal life
flourished. Amphibians left the oceans to live
on land, reptiles evolved as fully terrestrial
life-forms, and insect life began. Ferns grew
to tree size, and precursors of the conifers
appeared.
 The era began with a spectacular burst of new life. This is called the Cambrian explosion. The era ended with
the biggest mass extinction the world had ever seen. This is known as the Permian extinction.
The Ordovician Period: During
the next period, the Ordovician
Period (505–440 million years ago),
the oceans became filled with
invertebrates of many types. Also
during this period, the first fish
evolved and plants colonized the
land for the first time. But animals
still remained in the water.
The Silurian Period: During
the Silurian Period (440–410
million years ago), corals
appeared in the oceans, and
fish continued to evolve. On
land, vascular plants appeared.
With special tissues to
circulate water and other
materials, these plants could
grow larger than the earlier
nonvascular plants.
The Devonian Period: During the
Devonian Period (410–360 million
years ago), the first seed plants
evolved. Seeds have a protective
coat and stored food to help these
plants survive. Seed plants
eventually became the most common
type of land plants. In the oceans,
fish with lobe fins evolved. They
could breathe air when they raised
their heads above water. Breathing
would be necessary for animals to
eventually colonize the land.
The Carboniferous Period: Next, during the
Carboniferous Period (360–290 million years
ago), widespread forests of huge plants left
massive deposits of carbon that eventually
turned to coal. The first amphibians evolved
to move out of the water and colonize land,
but they had to return to the water to
reproduce. Soon after amphibians arose, the
first reptiles evolved. They were the first
animals that could reproduce on dry land.
The Permian Period: During the
Permian Period (290–245 million
years ago), all the major land masses
collided to form a supercontinent
called Pangaea. Temperatures were
extreme, and the climate was dry.
Plants and animals evolved
adaptations to dryness, such as waxy
leaves or leathery skin to prevent
water loss. The Permian Period ended
with a mass extinction.
The Triassic Period (252-201
million years ago) began after
Earth's worst-ever extinction
event devastated life. The
Permian-Triassic extinction
event, also known as the Great
Dying, took place roughly 252
million years ago and was one
of the most significant events
in the history of our planet.
MASS EXTINCTIONS
Periodic large-scale mass extinctions have occurred throughout the
history of life; indeed, it is on this basis that the geologic eras were first
established. Of the five major mass extinction events, the one best
known is the last, which took place at the end of the Cretaceous Period
and killed the dinosaurs. However, the largest of all extinction events
occurred between the Permian and Triassic periods at the end of the
Paleozoic Era, and it is this third mass extinction that profoundly
affected life during the Triassic. The fourth episode of mass extinction
occurred at the end of the Triassic, drastically reducing some marine and
terrestrial groups, such as ammonoids, mammal-like reptiles, and
primitive amphibians, but not affecting others.
The Jurassic Period was a golden time for
dinosaurs, which flourished for 180 million
years.
The Jurassic was a time of significant global
change in continental configurations,
oceanographic patterns, and biological systems.
During this period the supercontinent Pangea
split apart, allowing for the eventual development
of what are now the central Atlantic Ocean and
the Gulf of Mexico. Heightened plate tectonic
movement led to significant volcanic activity,
mountain-building events, and attachment of
islands onto continents. Shallow seaways covered
many continents, and marine and marginal
marine sediments were deposited, preserving a
diverse set of fossils. Rock strata laid down
during the Jurassic Period have yielded gold,
coal, petroleum, and other natural resources.
Cretaceous Period, in geologic time,
the last of the three periods of the
Mesozoic Era. The Cretaceous began
145.0 million years ago and ended 66
million years ago; it followed the
Jurassic Period and was succeeded by
the Paleogene Period (the first of the
two periods into which the Tertiary
Period was divided). The Cretaceous is
the longest period of the Phanerozoic
Eon. Spanning 79 million years, it
represents more time than has elapsed
since the extinction of the dinosaurs,
which occurred at the end of the
period.
The Paleocene epoch immediately
followed the extinction of the
dinosaurs. The Earth's climate was
warmer than today, but cooler and
drier than the epochs immediately
preceding and following it. Europe
and North America were connected,
as were Asia and North America at
times.
The first known supposed primates date to about 60
million years ago, as complete skulls and partial
postcranial skeletons are available for the genera
Plesiadapis, Ignacius, and Palaechthon from Europe
and North America. The skulls show a number of
dental specializations, including, in the case of
Plesiadapis, procumbent rodentlike incisors in the
upper and lower jaw and the absence of other
antemolar teeth, though the molar teeth show more
plausible primate affinities. Recent finds of limb bones,
especially finger bones, of Ignacius and other genera
have suggested that some, perhaps all, of these
Paleocene supposed primates may actually belong to
the order Dermoptera, whose only living representative
is the gliding colugo (“flying lemur”) of Southeast
Asia.
Early in the Eocene, the global climate remains warm. As the
continents move ever closer to their present-day positions, this
plate activity alters ocean and air circulation patterns. By the
end of the Eocene, temperatures cool considerably and a drying
period commences. In subtropical latitudes, open woodlands
covered with ferns and shrubby plants replace forests.

Land mammals, which move out of the forests and into the open
spaces, become noticeably larger. Rhinoceroses, three-toed
horses, and early relatives of pigs, camels, and hippopotamuses
first appear. As the temperature cools, some groups go extinct,
especially those in higher latitudes. Primates, which had thrived
in the more tropical conditions, manage to survive the
extinction. With the evolution of whales from wolf-like land
animals to sea-going creatures, mammals now occupy land, air,
and sea.

Animal migrations continue, especially between continents in

the northern hemisphere. Asian animals invade Europe,
replacing some native species (like European tapirs) with non-
native ones (like Asian rhinos).
Oligocene Epoch, third and
last major worldwide
division of the Paleogene
Period (65.5 million to 23
million years ago),
spanning the interval
between 33.9 million to 23
million years ago. The
Oligocene Epoch is
subdivided into two ages
and their corresponding
rock stages: the Rupelian
and the Chattian.
Animal life on land evolves more or less in
place, with little migration between the
continents. Early horses and other herbivores
feed primarily on woodland plants and, toward
the end of the epoch, spreading grasses.
Members of the camel family, which first
appear in North America, look more like deer,
with the males of some species growing horns.
Members of the bear family, too, resemble
another group of contemporary creatures: foxes.
The largest land-dwelling mammal ever found
-- a rhinoceros standing nearly 20 feet tall at the
shoulders and weighing in at 30,000 pounds --
feeds on trees in southeast Asia.
Miocene Epoch, Major division of the Neogene
Period, from 23 million to 5.3 million years ago. The
extensive fossil record of terrestrial life during the
Miocene provides a fairly complete picture of the
development of vertebrates, especially mammals.
Miocene mammals were essentially modern, and half
of the known modern families are present in the
Miocene record. The horse evolved, mainly in North
America, and advanced primates, including apes,
were present in southern Europe. Some interchange of
faunas occurred in the Northern Hemisphere between
the Old World and the New. Free communication was
possible between Africa and Eurasia, but South
America and Australia remained isolated.
The Miocene or "less recent" is so called
because it contains fewer modern
animals than the following, Pliocene,
epoch. The Miocene lasted from 18
million years, making it the longest
epoch of the Cenozoic era. This was a
huge time of transition, the end of the old
prehistoric world and the birth of the
more recent sort of world. It was also the
high point of the age of mammals
Pliocene Epoch, second of two major
worldwide divisions of the Neogene
Period, spanning the interval from about
5.3 million to 2.6 million years ago. The
Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch (23
million to 5.3 million years ago) and is
further subdivided into two ages and their
corresponding rock stages: the Zanclean
(5.3 million to 3.6 million years ago) and
the Piacenzian (3.6 million to 2.6 million
years ago). The Pliocene Epoch precedes
the Pleistocene Epoch of the Quaternary
Period
The Pliocene is bookended by two significant
events in the evolution of human ancestors. The
first is the appearance of the hominin
Australopithecus anamensis in the early
Pliocene, around 4.2 million years ago. The
second is the appearance of Homo, the genus
that includes modern humans and their closest
extinct relatives, near the end of the Pliocene at
2.6 million years ago. Key traits that evolved
among hominins during the Pliocene include
terrestrial bipedality and, by the end of the
Pliocene, encephalized brains (brains with a
large neocortex relative to body mass and stone
tool manufacture.
Pleistocene Epoch, earlier and major of the
two epochs that constitute the Quaternary
Period of Earth’s history, an epoch during
which a succession of glacial and interglacial
climatic cycles occurred. The base of the
Gelasian Stage (2,588,000 to 1,800,000 years
ago) marks the beginning of Pleistocene,
which is also the base of the Quarternary
Period. It is coincident with the bottom of a
marly layer resting atop a sapropel called
MPRS 250 on the southern slopes of Monte
San Nicola in Sicily, Italy, and is associated
with the Gauss-Matuyama geomagnetic
reversal. The Pleistocene ended 11,700 years
ago. It is preceded by the Pliocene Epoch of
the Neogene Period and is followed by the
Holocene Epoch.
Environments during the Pleistocene were dynamic
and underwent dramatic change in response to cycles
of climatic change and the development of large ice
sheets. Essentially all regions of Earth were
influenced by these climatic events, but the
magnitude and direction of environmental change
varied from place to place. The best-known are those
that occurred from the time of the last interglaciation,
about 125,000 years ago, to the present.
The Holocene Epoch is the current
period of geologic time. Another term
that is sometimes used is the
Anthropocene Epoch, because its
primary characteristic is the global
changes caused by human activity.
This term can be misleading, though;
modern humans were already well
established long before the epoch
began. The Holocene Epoch began
12,000 to 11,500 years ago at the close
of the Paleolithic Ice Age and
continues through today.
GENETIC VARIATION: CELEBRATE YOUR UNIQUENESS!
Have you ever wondered why do people look the same, but also look different from each other? Like how you look
like some of your relatives, but still, you are unique and recognizable. To some extent, even twins may look exactly
alike but still, there will be some traits that will make them different from each other, such as the way they talk or
the way they walk.

No two persons are genetically alike. Hence, no two persons have the same codes of DNA. This is because as an
individual, you carry a unique set of genes. The differences between the genes of each individual and the
differences between genes of the different populations are termed as GENETIC VARIATION
What is genetic variation?
Genetic variation is a term used to describe the variation in the
DNA sequence in each of our genomes. Genetic variation is
what makes us all unique, whether in terms of hair colour, skin
colour or even the shape of our faces.

• Individuals of a species have similar characteristics but

they are rarely identical, the difference between them is
called variation.
MECHANISMS OF EVOLUTION: What causes a change in
gene frequency?

Gene and the DNA don’t change overnight and don’t change with
no cause. There are various mechanisms that bring forth changes to
the gene frequency, let us investigate
and explain them one by one:
1. Natural selection - process of selecting the organism with
traits that are most adaptive to its environment, which is known
as "Survival of the Fittest".
2.Artificial selection or selective breeding -is when humans
choose to breed animals and plants with specific traits for
different purposes.
3.Gene flow or migration -is the movement of genes into or
out of a population.
 4.Genetic drift- is a mechanism that may bring change to the gene
frequency in a population due to "chance" events.

BOTTLENECK EFFECT- RANDOM REDUCTION IN POPULATION WHICH

CHANGES GENE POOL
5. Non-Random mating- occurs when some species choose a partner with
preferred characteristics, making the genes of the chosen male species unable to
reproduce in the next generation
6. Recombination -is the process of shuffling DNA, resulting in random
variation yet the same copy of the original gene.
7.Mutation occurs when an insertion, deletion, or change in the codes of the DNA
takes place. It can be caused by internal or external factors, and some mutations are
not even passed on from the parents to the offspring.
Somatic mutation is the only type of mutation that may affect the gene frequency of
a population in the long run.
The Hardy-Weinberg equation is used to estimate frequencies of
disease-causing alleles in the human population.

There are five conditions required for HardyWeinberg

equilibrium to happen:
1. The population is very large;
2. The population is isolated;
3. Mutations do not alter the gene pool;
4. Mating is random, and;
5. All individuals are equal in reproductive
success.
THIS IS THE END OF
OUR DISCUSSION.
THANK YOU AND
GOD BLESS!