The History of Life on Earth

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500

2,000

1,500

1,000

3,000

2,500

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4,000

Slide 62

You should now be able to:

Define radiometric dating, serial endosymbiosis, Pangaea, snowball Earth, exaptation, heterochrony, and paedomorphosis.

Describe the contributions made by Oparin, Haldane, Miller, and Urey toward understanding the origin of organic molecules.

Explain why RNA, not DNA, was likely the first genetic material.

Slide 63

Describe and suggest evidence for the major events in the history of life on Earth from Earth’s origin to 2 billion years ago.

Briefly describe the Cambrian explosion.

Explain how continental drift led to Australia’s unique flora and fauna.

Describe the mass extinctions that ended the Permian and Cretaceous periods.

Explain the function of Hox genes.