The Big Bang

Deep History Notes

Big bang (13.7bya)->First galaxies (10bya)->Solar system (4.6bya)->Molten earth (4.5bya)->Earth cools (4.2bya)->Life (~3.8bya)

Water provided a medium for chemical compounds to dissolve and be reconfigured as other compounds. Water + heat + carbon. The compounds carbon create are highly stable and don’t readily come apart in water unless the temperature goes up to facilitate breakdown. Sunlight, volcanoes, underground magma, and lightning can fulfil that requirement. Through regular chemistry, atoms can be combined to make complex carbon-based molecules. With just carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur you can create carbon-based molecules that play crucial roles in cells. Proteins, lipids, and carbs.

Proteins are the foundation of cell function, act as receptors that detect useful chemicals or transport chemicals in and out of the cell, or as enzymes that regulate chemical reactions, such as those underlying metabolism. They also contribute to forming an internal scaffold that gives a cell shape.

Carbohydrates also contribute to cell structure but are more important for energy metabolism and energy storage.

Lipids form the casing or membrane that surrounds the cell and separates it from the outer world, and also store energy and insulation.

Replicative chemistry also involves these interactions. Nucleic acids, DNA and RNA, can self replicate.