Biogenesis vs.

Abiogenesis

11/22/2022
Theory of Abiogenesis
• Nonliving things can be transformed into living things.
• Proposed by Aristotle who observed rotting meat and flies.
• Existed for nearly 2000 years
Example:

Introduction to Life Sciences

• Pond dries up – no fish or frogs
• Rain comes – fish and frogs
Therefore: It rained fish and frogs
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 Van Helmont

11/22/2022
• ~300 years ago
• Belgian doctor Jean van Helmont – concluded that mice could be created from a
dirty shirt.
• He placed grains of wheat and a dirty shirt in a container and in 21 days mice appeared.

Conclusion: Sweat caused wheat to ferment into mice. Abiogenesis!

Introduction to Life Sciences

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 Redi

11/22/2022
•In 1668 Francesco Redi (Italian physician) tested Aristotle’s hypothesis (meat  flies)
• 4 sets of jars with meat
• one set was open (experimental
group)
• one set was sealed (control group)
• Maggots appeared on open jars of meat
Conclusion: Flies come from flies!
Biogenesis – life from life.
• But, No air in jar, therefore life could

Introduction to Life Sciences

not survive.
• Redi repeated his experiment with a
fine mesh wire – supported Biogenesis
again!
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 Louis Pasteur (1822-1895)

11/22/2022
• 1864 – Pasteur developed a swan-neck flask

Introduction to Life Sciences

Experiment:
• Boiled broth, air could enter but microbes
were trapped in curved flask
• Broth remained clear  Biogenesis finally
proven! 4
 End of Topic 2

Introduction to Life Sciences 11/22/2022

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