After about a week, the mixture turned brown and was found to contain amino acids. ... It is noted that amino acids and nucleic acids stick to the structures of clay crystals. ... Other researchers not that some kinds of RNA can join amino acids into protein chains without help from protein enzymes. ... These molecules then diversified into a group of catalysts that could assemble ribonucleotides in RNA synthesis or accumulate lipid-like molecules to form the first cell membranes. ... They heated amino acids without water and formed long protein chains. ...

• Word Count: 2685
• Approx Pages: 11
• Grade Level: High School

Some now extinct organisms had traits that were intermediary between other major groups of species. ... Living things on Earth are fundamentally similar in their chemical compositions and in the way their basic structures develop. ... These segments of DNA are chemically coded instructions for developing proteins by linking together specific amino acids in particular sequences. The many types of proteins in living things are made of only twenty kinds of amino acids. ...

• Word Count: 1026
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Proteins are critical to structure and metabolism of all living organisms. ... Structural: Form biological structures Transport: Carry biochemically important substances. ... Biological Species Concept: Ability to Interbreed A group of individuals that actually or potentially interbreed in nature. ... A group of organisms that shares an ancestor and a common evolutionary history VI. ... (Adapting to change) Biodiversity - Ecosystems - Biomes - Terrestrial Ecosystem Structure Community Structure The way that populations are organized/distributed in a particular area. ...

• Word Count: 856
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School