Origin of Life: 5 Ancient Theories of Origin of Life

by Puja Mondal -- Biology

Some of the ancient theories regarding the origin of life are as follows !
Many theories have been put forward to explain the origin of life.
Following ancient theories are important to mention.
1. Theory of Special Creation:
The greatest supporter of this theory was Father Suarez. According to this theory life
was created by supernatural power. According to the Bible the world was created within
six days. On the first day God made the heaven and the earth, on the second day, He
separated the sky from the water, on the third day. He made the dry land and plants, on
the fourth day. He formed the sun, the moon and the stars, on the fifth day.

He made the fishes and the birds and on the sixth day, He formed the land animals and
human beings. The first man, Adam and the first woman, Eve were created by God.
According to Hindu mythology the world was created by God Brahma. Brahma is
considered the God of creation.
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He created the whole universe with his desire. The first man was Manu and the first
woman was Shradha. Special creation theory lacks scientific evidences, on account of
which it is not accepted.
2. Theory of Spontaneous Generation (Abiogenesis or Autogenesis):
This theory states that life originated from nonliving things in a spontaneous manner.
This concept was held by early Greek philosophers like Thales, Anaximander,
Xanophanes, Empedocles, Plato, Aristotle, etc. In ancient Egypt, it was believed that the
mud of the Nile could give rise to frogs, toads, snakes, mice and even crocodiles when
warmed by the sun.

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Van Helmont (1577-1644) held that human sweat and wheat grains could give rise to
organisms. He placed a dirty shirt in a receptacle containing wheat bran and found that
after 21 days the gases from the shirt and wheat had formed living mice. These beliefs
have no scientific grounds and hence are discarded.
Evidences against the Theory of Spontaneous Generation:
The theory of spontaneous generation was disproved by many scientists of 17th, 18th
and 19th centuries. They proved that new organisms can be formed from pre-existing
ones, i.e., omnis vivum ex ovo or vivo (Biogenesis of Harvey1651 and . H. Huxley

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1870). Noted scientists who experimentally challenged the theory were Francesco Redi
(1626-1697), Lazzaro Spallanzani (1729-1799) and Louis Pasteur (1822-1895).
(i) Redis Experiment:
Francesco Redi, an Italian physician, took the flesh and cooked it so that no organisms
were left alive. Then he placed flesh in three jars, of which, one was uncovered, the
second was covered with parchment and the third one was covered with fine muslin. He
kept these jars for a few days and observed that maggots developed only in the
uncovered jar though the flies also visited other jars (Fig. 7.4).

(ii) Spallanzanis Experiment:

Spallanzani (1765), an Italian scientist disproved the spontaneous generation of microorganisms. He experimented that animal and vegetable broths boiled for several hours
and soon after sealed, were never infested with microorganisms. From this experiment
he concluded that high temperature had killed all living organisms in the broths and
without them life could not appear. When the broths were left exposed to air, were soon
invaded by microorganisms.

(iii) Pasteurs Experiment:

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Louis Pasteur, a French scientist took broths in a long necked flask and then he bent the
neck of the flask. He boiled the broths in the flask to kill any microorganisms that might
be present in them. The curved neck acted as a filter. If the flask with swan neck
(curved neck) is kept for months together, no life appeared, as the germ laden dust
particles in the air were trapped by the curved neck which serves as filter.

If the swan neck was broken off, the broths developed colonies of moulds and bacteria.
Thus, he showed that the source of the micro-organisms for fermentation or
putrefaction such as for milk, sugar and wine, etc., was the air and the organisms did not
arise from the nutrient media.
Thus Louis Pasteur (famous for Germ Theory of Disease and Immunology) finally
disapproved abiogenesis and proved biogenesis.
But according to biogenesis, life originated from pre-existing life which does not explain
the origin of life. So / biogenesis is also disapproved.

3. Theory of Panspermia or Cosmozoic Theory or Spore broth Theory:

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This theory was proposed by Richter (1865). According to this theory, protoplasm
reached the earth in the form of spores or germs or other simple particles from some
unknown part of the universe with the cosmic dust, and subsequently evolved into
various forms of life. Helmholz (1884) speculated that protoplasm in some form
reached the earth with falling meteorites.

Arrhenius (1908, Nobel Prize Winner of 1903 in Chemistry) postulated the (=

Panspermia Theory) and stated that organisms existed throughout the universe and
their spores etc., could freely travel through space from one star to the others. In fact,
panspermia theory is the alternative name of cosmozoic theory.
Evidences against Cosmozoic Theory:
Living matter cannot survive the extreme cold, dryness and ultra-violet radiation from
the sun required to be crossed for reaching the earth.
4. Theory of Eternity of Life:
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This theory was proposed by Preyer in 1880. According to this theory, different types of
living beings have always existed on earth and shall continue to exist forever, changing
only in form.

Image Courtesy : images.catholic.org/ins_news/2012054826heaven_6.jpg

Evidence against Theory of Eternity of Life:
It is accepted that earth had not always existed. If life is eternal, where did it exist before
this planet was formed.
5. Theory of Catastrophism:
Georges Cuvier (1769-1832), Father of Modern Palaeontology and Orbigney (18021837) were the chief advocates of this theory. According to this theory cataclysms (great
destruction) or catastrophic (concerning disastrous event) revolution occurs upon earth
from time to time which completely destroys all organisms (living beings).

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Image Courtesy : blindinglight.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/torndao-lightning.png

New organisms, then, suddenly form from inorganic matter. Each creation consists of
life quite different from that of the previous one. In fact, this theory is merely a
modification of theory of special creation. This theory is also not accepted.
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