POGOY, Maria Veronica I
Grade 12 Blessed Peter Gubbio
“Rocks depend on life and life depends on rocks”, this was clearly stated by
Robert Hazen a geologist that thinks life and rocks are coexisted. He greatly
emphasizes that the earth has 6 phases and these are black, gray, blue, red, white
and green earth which we are living in today. These phases coincide with different
theories that shows rocks as component of life and how it started. Earth was a big
molten rock before it became a planet so, thus life.
According to Hazen, Earth has just 250 minerals to start with but today it reaches
5,000, because our planet undergoes series of phases. Due to that 5,000 minerals
life was created and these are some theories that supports Hazen’s claim that life
couldn’t exist without rocks: Charles Darwin believes that a warm little pond creates
life because molecules come together to create life. Stanely Miller wanted to prove
that Darwin’s theory was true, so he combines all earthly equipment’s like water, gas
that serves as atmosphere and tiny spark which serves as lightning. During Miller’s
experiment chemical reaction occurs that causes the solution to turn to pink down to
oily black colored solution, which he found out that the electrodes contains organic
compounds like amino acids that are the building blocks of protein (which is the
structure of muscle, tissues, cells and etc.). This experiment proves that Darwin’s
theory of how life begun was true. But this theory was tested 24 years later because
deep down dark ocean, thermal vents was discovered and shockingly, life was thriving
into those dark thermal vents because of chemical energy and not sunlight. So, Hazen
and his colleagues are using the institution’s “pressure bombs”—breadbox-size metal
cylinders that squeeze and heat minerals to the insanely high temperatures and
pressures found inside the earth—to decipher nothing less than the origins of life. But
nothing happens so he put some of his pulverized rocks that are the remnants of the old
rocks that produces carbon dioxide, then add some nitrogen, ammonia, and some sulfuric
compounds. In these experiments he and his colleagues found some compounds
including amino acids that are more stable. The third theory was Peter Coveney’s claim
that mud are common materials that plays important role for life to exist. He found out
that mud’s atomic makeup makes it grungy that its surface has sheets of clay that fills up
water and molecules that has chemical reaction could possibly leads to RNA that
composes life’s genetic code. The fourth theory is about microbes in stromatolites. Martin
Kranendonk believes life exist 3.5 billion years ago because of the oldest fossils that found
in stromatolites. Stromatolites is a type of coral that contains microbes that capture
mineral, water and sand that compacts layer to layer to form solid mounds. These solid
mounds contain fossil that Kranendonk believes that these are the fossils of life in earth
but, he also thinks that life maybe exist earlier because these fossils are too complex to
be the oldest form of life. In addition, Ruth Blake tested microbes from an old rock that
found in deep ocean in Greenland. She found out that those leftover components in the
old rock has chemical footprints of life that are similar to what Kranendonk has found in
the stromatolites. But, only one is similar to all these theories which is life and rock are
intertwined and corelated; you couldn’t separate the two.
Afterall, life and rocks are all part of the same story. where minerals (NH3, CO2, H2,
and etc.) through the helped of chemical reaction creates life that we know today. Thus,
evolution takes place. This shows the constancy of change and the power of life to
transform the planet. Because of these organic compounds like amino acids which makes
protein, carbohydrates and lipids, and other molecules cells are present. Through cells,
life is possible because of RNA that hold life’s genetic codes.
However, Stanley Miller presented a precise theory that leads to the spontaneous
formation of organic molecules. He showed that the discharge of electric sparks into a
mixture of H2, CH4, and NH3, in the presence of water, leads to the formation of a variety
of organic molecules, including several amino acids that is the building blocks of protein
that makes cells. Although Miller's experiments did not precisely reproduce the conditions
of primitive Earth, they clearly demonstrated the plausibility of the spontaneous synthesis
of organic molecules, providing the basic materials from which the first living organisms
arose.
Needless to say, Miller’s theory worked with the presence of water, this means that
water plays a bigger role in carrying the building blocks of life to earth. Water is found
everywhere on Earth, from the polar ice caps to steamy geysers. Wherever water flows
on this planet, you can surely find life. Also, water turn outs to be the audience of life’s
origin because microbes could be found in water. Microbes are believed to be the part of
the history of where life began. It also turns out that water contains lot of chemical
properties that could transfer substances from cell to cell environment. Not only water
could flow and dissolve nearly anything, but it also one of the few materials that can exist
as solid, liquid, and gas with ranges of temperature.
Rocks, water, and chemicals are just part of a whole story that tackles about the
history of life. Thus, life is creating and sculpting our surroundings in ways that we can
imagine, and it has the power to to transform a planet. We, humans as well innovates
things into something marvelous. But, we should not tend to forget to look after our planet
which gives us the elements we need to survive on to live.