EVOLUTION of Microbiology
Stromatolites
Fossilized, photosynthetic, microbial mats
• The Earth is about 4.5 billion years old.
• Microorganisms have been around for about 4
billion years.
• The early Earth was anoxic and much hotter.
• The evidence suggests that biologically
important molecules could be formed when
gaseous mixtures like the primitive Earth
are irradiated or shocked.
The earliest “organisms” probably did not have
any DNA. They consisted of RNA and just a few,
if any proteins.
When self-replicating RNA molecules became
enclosed in membranes, they became the first
cellular life forms.
Soon, proteins become main cellular enzymes.
Using DNA as the genome likely resulted from
the need to store genetic information in a more
stable form.
Evolution of Life - a Time Scale What is the origin of eukaryotes?
Many theories e.g.:
1) Archaea-like cells evolved a nucleus,
endomembranes, and cytosketeton.
2) Endosymbiotic theory: Archaea like cell
engulfed a Gram - bacterium = mitochondrion
or a cyanobacterium = chloroplast
Stromatolites
Fossilized, photosynthetic, microbial mats
• The Earth is about 4.5 billion years old.
• Microorganisms have been around for about 4
billion years.
• The early Earth was anoxic and much hotter.
• The evidence suggests that biologically
important molecules could be formed when
gaseous mixtures like the primitive Earth
are irradiated or shocked.
The earliest “organisms” probably did not have
any DNA. They consisted of RNA and just a few,
if any proteins.
When self-replicating RNA molecules became
enclosed in membranes, they became the first
cellular life forms.
Soon, proteins become main cellular enzymes.
Using DNA as the genome likely resulted from
the need to store genetic information in a more
stable form.
Evolution of Life - a Time Scale What is the origin of eukaryotes?
Many theories e.g.:
1) Archaea-like cells evolved a nucleus,
endomembranes, and cytosketeton.
2) Endosymbiotic theory: Archaea like cell
engulfed a Gram - bacterium = mitochondrion
or a cyanobacterium = chloroplast
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