Hemoglobin is the enzyme used by animals to transfer oxygen from the lungs to th

Question

Hemoglobin is the enzyme used by animals to transfer oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the cells of the body. It is an ancient molecule having evolved long before animals evolved. Given this information, and given your knowledge of what the conditions of the Earth was in ancient times, which of the following might be the function hemoglobin would have served?

a) Hemoglobin originally served to assist in the rudimentary stages of electron transport chains, as they are seen in animals currently.

b) Hemoglobin helped to bind oxygen and deliver it to the components of ancient photosynthesis, as oxygen served as an electron carrier.

c) Hemoglobin originally bound to nitrogen gas and help in the production of proteins and nucleic acids.

d) Hemoglobin bound to oxygen and kept it away from other molecules in the cell, as oxygen is highly reactive and might cause damage to those molecules.

Explanation / Answer

d) Hemoglobin bound to oxygen and kept it away from other molecules in the cell, as oxygen is highly reactive and might cause damage to those molecules.

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