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[4] [5] Plate tectonics are needed for life over a long time span, and carbon-based life is important in the plate tectonics process. [6] Iron- and sulfur-based Anoxygenic photosynthesis life forms that lived from 3.80 to 3.85 billion years ago on Earth produced an abundance of black shale deposits. These shale deposits increase heat flow and ...
Ubiquitous, essential for all forms of life; all nucleic acids contain substantial amounts of phosphorus; it is also essential to adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the basis for all cellular energy transfer; and it performs many other essential roles in different organisms. [11] Toxic in some forms; pure phosphorus is poisonous to humans. [11 ...
The inert components of an ecosystem are the physical and chemical factors necessary for life—energy (sunlight or chemical energy), water, heat, atmosphere, gravity, nutrients, and ultraviolet solar radiation protection. [109] In most ecosystems, the conditions vary during the day and from one season to the next.
Molecular biology / m ə ˈ l ɛ k j ʊ l ər / is a branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions.
Water is important to life because it is an effective solvent, capable of dissolving solutes such as sodium and chloride ions or other small molecules to form an aqueous solution. Once dissolved in water, these solutes are more likely to come in contact with one another and therefore take part in chemical reactions that sustain life. [33]
Biochemistry, or biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. [1] A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology, and metabolism.
The possibility of life-forms being based on "alternative" biochemistries is the topic of an ongoing scientific discussion, informed by what is known about extraterrestrial environments and about the chemical behaviour of various elements and compounds. It is of interest in synthetic biology and is also a common subject in science fiction.
The cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all forms of life. Every cell consists of cytoplasm enclosed within a membrane; many cells contain organelles, each with a specific function. The term comes from the Latin word cellula meaning 'small room'. Most cells are only visible under a microscope.