Origin and Early History of Life: Key Theories and Evidence

This lecture explores Earth's formation ~4.54 billion years ago and early conditions conducive to life, including the development of the hydrosphere and plate tectonics. It examines hypotheses on life's origin, such as abiotic synthesis and extraterrestrial panspermia. Theories like the organic soup model and surface metabolism are discussed as mechanisms for early life formation. Precambrian life evolution, including microfossils (~3.5 billion years ago) and oxygenic photosynthesis (~2.7...