Hadean Eon – Earth, Moon, proteins, RNA
In the Hadean Eon, Earth was covered with active volcanoes like this one. Why is it called the Hadean Eon? Scientists named the Hadean Eon after the Greek god Hades, [...]
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06, 2017
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06, 2017
What is plastic? Organic chemistry
Plastic water bottles There are thousands of different kinds of plastic, from shopping bags to Fisher-Price toys to photographic film, CD's, and plumbing pipes. Some plastics, like chewing gum or [...]
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06, 2017
What is a protein? Organic chemistry
Proteins are a type of molecule made mainly out of hydrogen and carbon atoms. They are combinations of smaller molecules called amino acids. The first amino acids probably developed into proteins more than four [...]
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06, 2017
Organic chemistry
A diagram of a sugar molecule found in outer space, from NASA Organic molecules means the kind of molecules that living things are made of - at least, all the [...]
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06, 2017
What are amino acids? Organic chemistry
A model of the amino acid molecule glycine (red is oxygen, black is carbon, yellow is hydrogen, and blue is nitrogen atoms) What are amino acids? Amino acids are molecules made [...]
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05, 2017
What is a virus? Evolution and biology
The virus that causes AIDS (greatly magnified) HIV image copyright Russell Knightley Nobody is quite sure whether viruses are living things or not. The first living things may have come [...]
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05, 2017
What are proteinoids? Thermal proteins – Biology
Thermal proteins seen through a microscope Around four billion years ago, some of the amino acid molecules that were on the planet Earth began to join together into bigger molecules [...]
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05, 2017
What is a protein? Cell biology
When the first amino acids came to Earth from space inside chunks of ice about five billion years ago, the ice melted on the hot Earth and turned to water, and the [...]
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05, 2017
How did cells evolve? Cell biology and evolution
One cell of a plant (magnified 22,500 times) Thanks to Ohio State University A cell is the smallest living thing (unless you count viruses), and all bigger living things are [...]
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05, 2017
What are eyespots? Evolution of eyes – Biology
Euglena have red eyespots (thanks to Sharon Mooney) When did cells learn to see? About two billion years ago, or maybe a little later, some eukaryote cells developed the ability [...]
