Origin of Life (Complete both parts of this assignment)
M6 Written Assignment 2
Written Assignment 2: Origin of Life (Complete both parts of this assignment)
- Pick two current theories presented in the text about how and where life first arose and the evidence for them. What are the two properties that have to be accounted for in any theory about the origin of life? Why do many researchers think the first forms of life were RNA rather than DNA based? How has the discovery of Archaea changed our thinking about microbial evolution and the early evolution of all life?
- Along with the relevant part of chapter 6 in Evolution read the interview with Paul Ewald titled “Infectious Disease and the Evolution of Virulence” and the article “Neo-Lamarckian medicine” about diseases that are affected by environmental triggers.
How is an evolutionary perspective contributing to our understanding of disease? Include in you answer examples relating to treating infectious disease and the role of epigenetics. How has our understanding and treatment of HIV evolved?
