there were meteorites, a lot of space debris and lightning and liquid water eventually made the oceans.
Mainly by photosythesis that converted the CO2 in the poisonous early atmosphere, into oxygen.
The Earth is indeed round. It only seems flat because of its vast size compared to a human being. If you look out to sea on a clear day - its possible to see the curve of the earth in the distance. Early explorers (not knowing any different) actually believed it was possible to fall off the edge of the earth. They thought the distant horizon line where the sky meets the land, was the edge of the Earth.
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Because they were made the same time as the Earth from the same materials. And, since they have basically been frozen in time in outer space, they can tell us a lot about the composition of the Earth. The materials on Earth are constantly being recycled and nothing remains from the birth of the Earth, so that is why we look to outer space and the meteorites that fall to Earth to give us clues to its origin.
The origin of life.
The surface of early earth was mostly molten and volcanic. The atmosphere was hot and highly toxic.
The three conditions that make life on Earth possible are: presence of liquid water, suitable temperature range, and presence of a stable atmosphere with oxygen.
The Miller-Urey experiment simulated the conditions of early Earth by creating a mixture of gases believed to be present in the atmosphere at that time, such as methane, ammonia, and water vapor. This mixture was then subjected to electrical sparks to mimic lightning, which was thought to have been a common occurrence on early Earth. The experiment resulted in the formation of organic molecules, including amino acids, which are the building blocks of life. This supported the hypothesis that the basic building blocks of life could have formed spontaneously on early Earth.
The reducing atmosphere hypothesis is supported by evidence such as the presence of certain gases in ancient rocks and the ability of lightning to create organic molecules in laboratory experiments. These findings suggest that early Earth's atmosphere lacked oxygen and had conditions conducive to the formation of organic compounds necessary for life.
Titan, one of Saturn's moons, has a thick atmosphere and surface conditions that resemble early Earth. Scientists believe studying Titan may provide insights into how the building blocks of life formed and evolved under different conditions, potentially shedding light on the origin of life on Earth and elsewhere in the universe.
Alexander Ivanovich Oparin was a Soviet biochemist who, in 1924, put forward a coherent theory for the origin of life through gradually increasing sophistication of biochemical change in his book The Origin of Life.
Simple prokaryotic organisms, such as bacteria and archaea, are believed to have been the first to develop on Earth due to the harsh early environmental conditions, like the lack of oxygen and extreme temperatures. These organisms were able to thrive in such conditions and are thought to have played a crucial role in shaping the Earth's early environment.
It is possible that the Earth's surface played a significant role in providing the necessary conditions and chemicals for the origin of life. Many scientists believe that certain environments on early Earth, such as hydrothermal vents or shallow pools, could have facilitated the formation of organic molecules that eventually led to the development of life. However, the exact location and process of life's origin is still a subject of ongoing research and debate.
simulate the conditions of early Earth and test whether organic molecules could be formed from inorganic compounds. The experiment produced amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins, demonstrating that the basic components of life could have originated from non-living matter under early Earth conditions.
Oparin's hypothesis on the origin of life was tested experimentally through Stanley Miller's famous experiment in 1953, where he simulated the conditions of early Earth and observed the formation of organic molecules like amino acids from inorganic chemicals. This experiment provided evidence that the basic building blocks of life could have formed spontaneously under the conditions believed to exist on early Earth, supporting Oparin's hypothesis.
Stanley Miller, along with Harold Urey, recreated the conditions of early Earth inside a laboratory apparatus in 1953. They aimed to demonstrate how life could have originated from simple molecules in a primitive Earth environment.