Origins and Theories of the Beginning of Life

Apuntes

# The Origin of Life ## Creationism and Spontaneous Generation • Subtopic: Creationism Creationism posits that life began supernaturally thanks to the action of one or more gods. • Subtopic: Spontaneous Generation Spontaneous generation is a theory formulated in ancient Greece, which held that certain living beings could be formed from organic or decaying organic matter, or from inert matter. Until the 19th century, this theory was the most widely respected by most scientists. However, Louis Pasteur experimentally disproved this theory. • Subtopic: Louis Pasteur's Experiment Louis Pasteur's experiment showed that the necks of flasks limited the access of meat broth to eliminate possible microorganisms. These flasks had short necks, trapping microorganisms in the necks. After shaking the flasks, microorganisms came into contact with the broth and multiplied rapidly, decomposing it. ## Prebiotic Synthesis • Subtopic: Theory by Oparin and Haldane The theory of prebiotic synthesis, proposed by Alexander Oparin and John Haldane, suggests that organisms originated from complex organic molecules. The early atmosphere was composed of inorganic molecules and lacked oxygen, including NH₃, CH...