Organic Macromolecules

There is loads we know about living things on our planet, about us walking-talking humans or the weird and wonderful creatures that swim in the seas and soar through the air but we still don’t know for sure…where it all came from! The story begins over 3,500 million years ago and ends today, with you reading this! How did life begin? It is the job of those who study life to try and figure this one out, and after many years of trying there are some brilliant ideas.

When life arose on Earth about 4 billion years ago, the first types of cells to evolve were prokaryotic cells. For approximately 2 billion years, prokaryotic-type cells were the only form of life on Earth. The oldest known sedimentary rocks found in Greenland are about 3.8 billion years old. The oldest known fossils are prokaryotic cells, 3.5 billion years in age, found in Western Australia and South Africa. The nature of these fossils, and the chemical composition of the rocks in which they are found, indicates that these first cells made use of simple chemical reactions to produce energy for their metabolism and growth. Eukaryotic cells evolved into being between 1.5 and 2 billion years ago. Eukaryotic cells appear to have arisen from prokaryotic cells, specifically out of the archaea. Indeed, there are many similarities in molecular biology of contemporary archaea and eukaryotes. However, the origin of the eukaryotic organelles, specifically chloroplasts and mitochondria, is explained by evolutionary associations between primitive nucleated cells and certain respiratory and photosynthetic bacteria, which led to the development of these organelles and the associated explosion of eukaryotic diversity. Today Prokaryotes

A cell is the fundamental building blocks of all living organisms. Cell’s consist of four biopolymers; protein, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids. Each macromolecule is a polymer that is formed from molecules known as monomers. In this experiment samples will be subjected through a variety of chemical tests using procedures that will detect the presence of each macromolecule; carbohydrates, protein, and lipids. The specific chemical tests that will be used during this experiment consist of the Biuret test which is a test used to determine the presence of peptide bonds in protein, which is the chemical bond that holds amino acids together. The test relies on a color change to confirm the presence of proteins. If proteins are present,

Our world has changed dramatically since the day Antoine van Leeuwenhoek discovered microorganisms in 1676 using a simple microscope. In early days, scientists first thought life arose from inanimate materials. This theory, known as abiogenesis or spontaneous generation, was disproved later on by scientists including Lazarro Spallanzani and Louis Pasteur. The experiments conducted by these scientists showed that living things could only arise from preexisting life, or biogenesis. All life begins with a living cell, composing of five required components. These components are DNA, RNA, cell membrane, ribosome, and cytoplasm. As more investigations on bacteria were conducted, scientists were able to acquire a deeper knowledge of the microbiology and pathology of animals, plants, and humans.

1. Carbohydrates: Are Molecule composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, and they include sugars and starches.

25. The formation of a phospholipid bilayer membrane around a set of macromolecules was an important step in the origin and early evolution of life. What two advantages of such a system are thought to have allowed the first cells to grow and evolve? (1) The membrane forms a (semipermeable) barrier between the interior of the cell and its environment, and (2) it allows a cell to grow and evolve as a unit, instead of existing as isolated molecules.

Carbon has unique properties that allow macromolecules to form. One is that carbon can form four covalent bonds. This is because of the four valence electrons it has. A carbon atom can have a triple bond with one atom and still have an extra electron to share with another atom. Carbon bonds can take on different shapes: linear, branched, or ring-shaped. Carbon also bonds with functional groups. Functional groups are molecules with unique chemical characteristics and properties. These include hydroxyl and phosphate groups. Carbon containing molecules can have multiple forms. These different forms are called isomers. These different molecules can have the same molecular formula but will have different shapes and characteristics. Structural isomers

Although both abiotic synthesis and the deep-sea vent hypotheses argue the environment of a primordial-Earth was required for the origin of life, the two hypotheses have their differences. In general, the abiotic synthesis hypothesis describes the process of how organic compounds can be created from inorganic compounds, while the deep-sea vent hypothesis argues a possible scenario where life may have originated from inorganic compounds. While the term “primordial soup” has been used to describe abiotic synthesis, the same term has been used to describe the extreme environment surrounding hydrothermal vents. In Stanley Miller’s experiment, Bada and Lazcano (2008, p.745) argue, Miller showed abiotic synthesis took place by introducing an electric current to a circulating mixture of pressurized “CH4, NH3, H20, and H2.” However, samples of both types of hydrothermal vents show different mixtures than that of Miller’s experiment. Although the LCHF lacks CO2, according to William Martin, John Baross, Deborah Kelley, and Michael J. Russell (2008, p.806) the compound was not used in Miller’s experiment, but the vent did release ample amounts of H2 and CH4, which were used in Miller’s experiment. Black smokers, on the other hand, give off H2, but also release CO2 and H2S (Martin et al., 2008, p.806). The two hypotheses agree that life on Earth originated around roughly 3.8 billion years ago. Another similarity between the two hypotheses is both argue the precursors of life are

Enantiomers are two same chemical moieties which have a different spatial arrangement. They are described as mirror images of each other, that is they are non-superimposable. They have similar physical properties but differs in some chemical properties. The two different arrangements are classifieds as L- and D-, depending upon the functional group of reference.

Flinders University , 2018. Biology Molecular Basis of Life: General Information and Laboratory Manual. Adelaide : College of Science and Engineering.

The four macromolecules presented in all living organism are carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. The carbohydrates are made up of sugars. This provides a major source of energy. When carbohydrates are composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Then proteins have a large amount of amino acids. Most of the muscles are made up proteins. Proteins also have special helpers that are called enzymes that help regulate all the chemical reaction inside the body. Lipids reserve energy. There are three important lipids and they include fats, steroids, and phospholipids. Finally, the nucleic acids houses the DNA and RNA. Nucleic acids then stores and transmits genetic information.

Three of the four main classes of macromolecules, lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins, were identified in five unknown substances. Then, using the results from the tests, noting which unknowns contained which macromolecules in which amounts, the results were cross referenced with the nutritional labels of various foods. Using the process of elimination and deduction, the unknown substances were matched to a specific food item.

The first of the biomolecule hypotheses was the Primordial Soup Hypothesis. The theory of the Primordial Soup Hypothesis was that, life began in a body of water due to a mix of chemicals in the atmosphere and a type of energy from amino acids. The scientists

In 1924, the Soviet biologist Alexander Oparin proposed a theory of the origin of life, Oparin believed that during chemical evolution of molecules that have carbon in Primordial Soup. The theory suggests that life began in a body of water, resulting into the combination of chemicals from the atmosphere and a form of energy to create amino acids which evolved into all of the species. Chemist Stanley Miller and physicist Harold Urey conducted an experiment in 1950 to test Oparin’s theory. They mixed gases thought to be present on primitive earth such as: Methane, Ammonia, Water, and Hydrogen. They then sparked the mixture to represent the lightning, and amino acids were produced; the building blocks of proteins.

I have always been fascinated in understanding about the ecological and biological processes of aquatic organisms and their interaction with the environment, especially their response and impacts of greenhouse gases. My past research focused on methods development for detecting and quantifying key elements and chemical compounds that actively influence the growth and distribution of aquatic organisms, and their interaction to environmental change. Environmental proteomics, genomic and biochemical studies in the biomineralization process are the most applicable approaches for understanding all these biological features. Therefore, I was very much interested to work with these promising tools, which are also