Origin of Life in the Oceans

Scientists have determined that there are seven characteristics that define life. Living things:

• Are composed of cells
• Have levels of organization
• Respond to the environment
• Use energy
• Grow
• Reproduce
• Adapt to the environment

In 1952, Stanley Miller experimented to show that the environment that existed on Earth after the Big Bang could support the formation of the building blocks of life, which are amino acids. It is thought that these smaller building blocks of life came together to become the first living organisms.

Now, there are about 250,000 known marine species, with more discovered daily. The range of different marine organisms is apparent when comparing the tiniest microscopic algae to the largest marine mammal known to exist, the blue whale. With the vast number of marine species in existence, it is important for scientists to classify them in order to better study them.