Describe Four Characteristics of the Universal Ancestor
The Universal Ancestor is described as an organism or group of organisms from which all genetic material found within life on Earth descends. This organism or group of organisms helped create all existing life forms existing on the planet. Everything from human beings to bacteria share the genetic material of the Universal Ancestor.
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DNA
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DNA is found in all organisms. DNA is the instruction program for all cells, the basic component of an organism. Proteins make up the overall structure of DNA. For DNA to function, it must self-replicate by forming RNA. RNA helps synthesize proteins to create replicate copies of DNA. The Universal Ancestor utilized this function. The Ancestor became so successful at replicating its own or the group's DNA that it expanded, evolved, and proceeded to create new organisms over the span of billions of years.
Consistent Gene Swapping
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In order for the complexity of life to exist as it is now, the Universal Ancestor had to be both a simple organism but be able to swap DNA rapidly. In the earliest days of the Universal Ancestor, genetic material would swap or be destroyed in the process of replication. This led to further complexity within the gene pool, leading toward differentiation between organisms. This is usually how scientists came to the conclusion of the Universal Ancestor; if genes are lost and swapped, then the most common genes are rooted to a common ancestor.
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Climate
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Research on how the Universal Ancestor lived is controversial. Depending on where on Earth and when on the Earth the Universal Ancestor saw creation can determine the living environment the organism lived under. It has been assumed that heat, which typically does help simple proteins and organisms thrive, must have been a necessary variable for the Universal Ancestor to thrive. However, a 2008 study by the University of Montreal showed that in order for RNA to succeed in replication, the average climate for the Universal Ancestor had to be around 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Structure
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What scientists know as the basic cellular structure of cells in bacteria or large animals came from the Universal Ancestor. Before the Universal Ancestor, cells might have different overall structures and replicated in different ways. However, for the Universal Ancestor to be correct, the cellular structure of the Ancestor had to include several universal qualities. One quality is that lipids, or fatty acids, compose a cell wall around the cytoplasm of the cell. This protects the cell from the outside environment and is universal in all Earth organisms. Another characteristic is the creation of the genetic code structured around 4 main amino acids. The amino acids are U, C, A, G, and the unique sequencing on these amino acids is the blueprint for an organisms.
Not the First Living Thing
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In theory, the Universal Ancestor is not the first living organism. Throughout the early history of the Earth, many organisms may have co-existed with the Universal Ancestor or well before it. However, the genetic material from these multiple organisms did not survive and no known organism on the planet has different genetic properties that would indicate the organism is descended from a non-Universal Ancestor. To clear the confusion, scientists often call the Universal Ancestor the Latest Universal Common Ancestor, or LUCA. This clears up people from equating the LUCA with the first organism or organisms.
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References
- Ohio State University.edu: Chapter 26, Campbell & Reece, 2002 (3/25/2005): by Stephen T. Abedonfor Biology 113
- Clinton Community College.edu: What is Life?
- University of California, Davis.edu: Universal Ancestor
- Action BioScience: What is the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA)?
- Science Daily: Earth's Original Ancestor Was 'LUCA' (Dec. 19, 2008)
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America: The Universal Ancestor
- Photo Credit Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
