Chapter 26

1. Provide at least two lines of evidence for the antiquity of life.
2. Describe the contributions that A.I. Oparin, J.B.S. Haldane, Stanley Miller and Harold Urey made towards developing a model for abiotic synthesis of organic molecules.
3. Provide plausible evidence to support the hypothesis that chemical evolution resulting in life's origin occurred in four stages:
a. Abiotic synthesis of organic monomers
b. Abiotic synthesis of polymers
c. Formation of protobionts
d. Origin of genetic information

4. Describe the basis for Whittaker's five-kingdom system.
5. Describe three alternatives to the five-kingdom system and explain the rationale for each.