Question

Hot sand, clay, or rock may have played an important role in the origin of life because _____.

A. early life-forms probably utilized minerals present there
B. evaporation of seawater from these surfaces could have concentrated monomers, leading to the formation of polymers through dehydration synthesis
C. they would have heated monomers enough to cause them to spontaneously bind and form polypeptides and other polymers
D. they are often colonized by bacteria and algae

Answer 1

B. Evaporation from hot surfaces could have concentrated organic monomers, allowing for the synthesis of polymers necessary for the origin of life. Mineral-enriched surfaces might have acted as catalysts, with deep-sea vents possibly serving as bio-chemical laboratories for early life-forms.

Step-by-step explanation:

Hot sand, clay, or rock may have played an important role in the origin of life because B. evaporation of seawater from these surfaces could have concentrated monomers, leading to the formation of polymers through dehydration synthesis.

Such environments could facilitate the binding of monomers to form polypeptides and other polymers, acting as a crucible for prebiotic chemical reactions.

Mineral-enriched surfaces could have catalyzed these reactions repeatedly, leading to related sets of polymers, which, in the context of the RNA world hypothesis, are crucial to the origin of life.

The deep-sea hydrothermal vents, rich in various metals, could have also provided catalytic surfaces enhancing organic molecule synthesis.

Essences of life such as amino acids may have formed in the absence of high heat due to the catalytic properties of metals in ocean sediments, consistent with the current biological catalysts in enzymes.

Moreover, some theories suggest that life might have begun in extremely hot conditions, or even originated from extraterrestrial sources such as Mars.