How Did Life First Find a Way? A Review of the Scientific Evidence

This lecture surveys scientific evidence on how life may have originated and evolved on early Earth. It focuses on extremophile microbes, phototrophy, hydrothermal vents, microbial ecosystems, and environmental changes such as oxygenation and Snowball Earth.

Syllabus

Introduction
Speaker Introduction
Time Periods
Extreme Environments
Definition of Life
Early Earth
Deep Ocean
Origins of Life
Evolution of Life
Phototrophy
Cyclic Electron Transfer
Rube Goldberg Machine
ATP synthase
Pigments
Solar collectors
Light striking
Why is this important
Modernday microbial communities
Spectrum of radiation
Bacteria absorb light
Hydrothermal vents
Infrared
Stromatolites
Terraforming
Oxygenation
Ozone
Snowball Earth
Antarctica
psych profiles
microbial ecosystems