Exam 4: Nucleic Acids and the Origin of Life

Refer to the figure below showing an RNA oligonucleotide undergoing hydrolytic breakdown into its component nucleotides. Hydrolysis occurs in DNA molecules, too, but at a rate that is 100 times slower than that in RNA.Which statement explains how this information supports the hypothesis that RNA and not DNA became the first complex molecule that assisted in the synthesis of proteins during the rise of life on Earth?

Which statement is supported by the discovery that RNA can function as a catalyst?

Which children's activity can best be used as an analogy to explain how DNA functions as an informational molecule?

According to the principle of complementary base pairing, in RNA, adenine always bonds with _______.

Which line of evidence supports the hypothesis that the prebiotic synthesis of molecules could occur in water inclusions within ice on celestial bodies such as Europa, a moon of Jupiter?

What is the significance of the specific ratio of carbon isotopes (¹³C:¹²C) in microfossils found in Australian sediments that are 3.5 billion years old?

There are several hypotheses considered for the evolutionary pathway to life.Which line of evidence constitutes support for the hypothesis that an "RNA world" preceded the modern "DNA world"?

Complementary base pairing

Hydrothermal vents deep in the ocean, where hot water emerges from beneath Earth's crust, lack oxygen and contain metals such as iron and nickel.In laboratory experiments, these metals have been shown to

Refer to the figure below illustrating the "RNA world" hypothesis. Which statement concerning the figure is true?

Which is a plausible explanation for the presence of carbon dioxide in Earth's early atmosphere?

Complementary base pairing between strands of nucleic acids is limited to particular pairings because of

Which statement about fatty acids is true?

Which was a limitation of the Miller-Urey experiments in the 1950s?

The cell membrane

The end product of transcription is _______, and the end product of translation is _______.

A scientist has analyzed a meteorite discovered in a remote area of Arizona.The analysis has revealed the presence of many organic compounds, some of which are biologically relevant.The scientist wants evidence that the compounds were synthesized in space.Which analysis would be best for this purpose?

Adenine and guanine are bases classified as _______.

The most likely source of early Earth's atmospheric oxygen was

Ribose and deoxyribose are both found in nucleic acids.The difference between ribose and deoxyribose is that