Evolutionary History of Life - Origins of Life On Earth

Origins of Life On Earth

Further information: Evidence of common descent, Common descent, and Homology (biology)

Biologists reason that all living organisms on Earth must share a single last universal ancestor, because it would be virtually impossible that two or more separate lineages could have independently developed the many complex biochemical mechanisms common to all living organisms. As previously mentioned the earliest organisms for which fossil evidence is available are bacteria, cells far too complex to have arisen directly from non-living materials. The lack of fossil or geochemical evidence for earlier organisms has left plenty of scope for hypotheses, which fall into two main groups: 1) that life arose spontaneously on Earth or 2) that it was "seeded" from elsewhere in the Universe.

Read more about this topic:  Evolutionary History Of Life

Famous quotes containing the words origins of, origins, life and/or earth:

    The origins of clothing are not practical. They are mystical and erotic. The primitive man in the wolf-pelt was not keeping dry; he was saying: “Look what I killed. Aren’t I the best?”
    Katharine Hamnett (b. 1948)

    Lucretius
    Sings his great theory of natural origins and of wise conduct; Plato
    smiling carves dreams, bright cells
    Of incorruptible wax to hive the Greek honey.
    Robinson Jeffers (1887–1962)

    Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.
    Sophocles (497–406/5 B.C.)

    Time! Joyless emblem of the greed
    Of millions, robber of the best
    Which earth can give ...
    Amy Lowell (1874–1925)