Origins+of+life+of+Earth

=Unit 1 Overview of Lecture and Discussion Topics:=

Students are introduced to the conditions of early Planet Earth (before life emerged). They learn why Earth is a misnomer for a planet that is 75% water and why water is essential for life. They learn of the hypothesis of Oparin and Haldane and the experiments of Miller and Urey. With a solid understanding of the structure and function of biological molecules (gained from activities described below), students learn how these molecules can be used to:
 * catalyze chemical reactions
 * separate the internal from the external environment
 * retain and transmit information

The RNA World hypothesis is discussed as well as how DNA emerged as the molecule of choice for long-term storage of genetic information. The unit concludes with an introduction to viruses, which are most likely the first life-like things on Earth. = =

Activities and Laboratories:
>>>> >> //Practicing Biology//, 3rd Edition.
 * Students use[| 3D models of water] to understand the properties of water and how those properties are essential for life on Earth (SP 1).
 * Students build paper models of macromolecules and model how monomers create polymers through dehydration reactions (SP 1).
 * Students use [|magnetic and foam models to discover how proteins] are assembled from amino acid chains and how those chains are shaped to make complex proteins (SP 1).
 * Big Idea 2 Laboratory Investigation
 * Enzyme catalysis
 * Using the Pasco data collection system and O2 gas pressure sensors students will measure the rate of the enzyme catalyzed decomposition of hydrogen peroxide by catalase. In this guided inquiry activity, students will measure the rate of the reaction with and without the enzyme. Students will then design an experiment to determine the effect of an environmental factor of their choice on the enzyme catalyzed reaction. Students present their findings including rate calculations and meaning of data as it relates to enzyme structure and function in a mini poster session that is evaluated by both their peers and the instructor (SP 2, 3, 4 and 5).
 * After learning about and discussing experiments by Oparin, Miller and Urey, and others, students are guided through an inquiry in which they [|form coacervates] by combining carbohydrate molecules with protein molecules as they vary pH. They observe the coacervates and collect quantitative data. Students then develop a question they would like to answer through experimentation about coacervate formation, and materials are made available as students design experiments to test the hypotheses they have made. The entire laboratory study will be documented in a laboratory research notebook. In addition, students will present outcomes in a mini poster session, and students will be required to comment on the findings of the various student groups. (SP 1, 3, 4, 5)
 * Investigation 4 Diffusion and Osmosis
 * New idea for Diffusion and Osmosis c/o Carolina Biological
 * []
 * [|Limits to Cell Size]
 * Students use artificial cells to study the relationship of [|surface area and volume]. Students create models of living cells to explore osmosis and diffusion. Students finish by observing osmosis in living cells (SP 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6).
 * [|DNA Structure] and Function
 * Activity 16.1 Is the hereditary material DNA or protein?
 * Activity 16.2 How does DNA replicate? (SP 1)
 * Activity 17.1 Modeling transcription and translation: What processes produce RNA from DNA and protein from mRNA? (SP 1, 3, 4, 5, 6)

Chapters from Campbell and Power Point Files:

 * 25. The History of Life on Earth || [[file:Earth before life.ppt]] ||
 * 3. Water and the Fitness of the Environment || [[file:Chapter 3 Water.ppt]] ||
 * 4. Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life || [[file:Chapter 4 Carbon.ppt]] ||
 * 5. The Structure and Function of Large Biological Molecules || [[file:Chapter 5 Macromolecules.ppt]] ||
 * 8. An Introduction to Metabolism (enzymes) || [[file:Chapter 8 Into Metabolism.ppt]] ||
 * 7. Membrane Structure and Function || [[file:Chapter 7 Membrane.ppt]] ||
 * 16. The Molecular Basis of Inheritance (prokaryotic) || [[file:Chapter 16 DNA Replication.ppt]] ||
 * 17. From Gene to Protein || [[file:Chapter 17 From Gene to Protein.ppt]] ||
 * 19. Viruses || [[file:Chapter 19 Viruses.ppt]] ||

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