Origin of Life


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ristotle (384 ²322 BC)
Proposed the theory of
spontaneous generation
lso called abiogenesis
Idea that living things can
arise from nonliving matter
Idea lasted almost 2000
years


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 jpontaneous Generation
For centuries
centuries,, people based their
beliefs on their interpretations of
what they saw going on in the world
around them without testing their
ideas
They didn·t use the scientific
method to arrive at answers to their
questions
Their conclusions were based on
untested observations


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 amples of
jpontaneous
Generation


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  ample #1
Observation: very year in the
Observation:
spring, the Nile River flooded
areas of gypt along the river,
leaving behind nutrient
nutrient-
-rich mud
that enabled the people to grow
that year·s crop of food food..
However, along with the muddy
soil, large numbers of frogs
appeared that weren·t around in
drier times


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  ample #1
Conclusion: It was perfectly
Conclusion:
obvious to people back then
that muddy soil gave rise to
the frogs


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  ample #2
Observation: In many parts of
Observation:
urope, medieval farmers stored
grain in barns with thatched
roofs (like jhakespeare·s house).
house).
s a roof aged, it was not
uncommon for it to start leaking
leaking..
This could lead to spoiled or
moldy grain,
grain, and of course there
were lots of mice around.
around.


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  ample #2
Conclusion: It was obvious to
them that the mice came
from the moldy grain.
grain.


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  ample #3
Observation::
Observation In the cities
centuries ago, there were no
sewers, no garbage trucks, no
electricity, and no refrigeration
refrigeration..
jewage flowed down the streets,
and chamber pots and left over
food were thrown out into the
streets each morning.
morning. Many
cities also had major rat
problems and a disease called
Bubonic plague
plague..


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  ample #3

Conclusion: Obviously, all

Conclusion:
the sewage and garbage
turned into the rats_


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  ample #4
Observation: jince there were no
Observation:
refrigerators, the mandatory,
daily trip to the butcher shop,
especially in summer, meant
battling the flies around the
carcasses.. Typically, carcasses
carcasses
were ´hung by their heels,µ and
customers selected which chunk
the butcher would carve off for
them..
them


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  ample #4
Conclusion: Obviously, the
rotting meat that had been
hanging in the sun all day was
the source of the flies.
flies.


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 biogenesis Recipes

Recipe for bees

bees::
Kill a young bull,
bull, and bury it
in an upright position so
that its horns protrude
from the ground.
ground. 
ter a
month, a swarm o
bees will

ly out o
the corpse.
corpse.


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 biogenesis Recipes
Recipe
or mice
mice::
Place a dirty shirt or some rags in
an open pot or barrel containing a

ew grains o
wheat or some wheat
bran, and in 21 days
days,, mice will
appear.. There will be adult males
appear
and
emales present, and they will
be capable o
ating and
reproducing ore ice
ice..


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 isproving
jpontaneous
Generation


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 Francesco Redi (1668)
In 1668
1668,, Francesco Redi
Redi,, an
Italian physician, did an
e periment with flies and wide
wide-
-
mouth jars containing meat


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 Redi·s  periment
Redi used open & closed
flasks which contained meat
meat..
His hypothesis was that
rotten meat does not turn
into flies
flies..
He observed these flasks to
see in which one(s) maggots
would develop
develop..


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 Redi·s Findings
He found that if a flask was
closed with a lid so adult flies
could not get in, no maggots
developed on the rotting meat
within..
within
In a flask without a lid, lid,
maggots soon were seen in the
meat because adult flies had laid
eggs and more adult flies soon
appeared..
appeared


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Redi·s (1626-1697)  periments
vidence against spontaneous generation:
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Results of Redi·s  periments

The results of this

e periment disproved the idea
of spontaneous generation for
larger organisms, but people
still thought microscopic
organisms like algae or
bacteria could arise that way.
way.


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Francesco Redi


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 id Redi Use the
jcientific Method?


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 The jcientific Method
Observation
Hypothesis
 periment
ccept, Reject, or Modify hypothesis


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 jtep 1 - Observation
There were flies around meat
carcasses at the Butcher
shop.
Where do the flies come
from?
oes rotting meat turn into
or produce rotting flies?


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 jtep 2 - Hypothesis
Rotten meat does not turn
into flies
flies.. Only flies can
make more flies
flies..


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 jtep 3 - Testing
Wide-mouth jars each containing a piece of
Wide-
meat were subjected to several variations
of ´opennessµ while all other variables were
kept the same.
same.
Control group ³ These jars of meat were
set out without lids so the meat would be
e posed to whatever it might be in the
butcher shop
shop..
 perimental group(s) ³ One group of jars
were sealed with lids, and another group of
jars had gauze placed over them
them..


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 jtep 4 - ata
Presence or absence of flies
and maggots observed in each
jar was recorded
recorded..
Control group ² flies entered,
laid eggs, & maggots emerged
Gauze covered ² flies on gauze,
but not in jar
jealed jars ² No maggots or
flies on the meat


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 jtep 5 - Conclusion
Only flies can make more flies flies.. In the
uncovered jars
jars,, flies entered and laid eggs
on the meat.
meat. Maggots hatched from these
eggs and grew into more adult flies flies.. dult
flies laid eggs on the gauze on the gauze- gauze-
covered jars
jars.. These eggs or the maggots
from them dropped through the gauze onto
meat. In the sealed jars,
the meat. jars, no flies,
maggots, nor eggs could enter, thus none
were seen in those jars.
jars. Maggots arose only
where flies were able to lay eggs. eggs. This
e periment disproved the idea of
spontaneous generation for larger organisms
organisms..


  ֕
 isproving
jpontaneous
Generation of
Microbes


  
nton van Leeuwenhoek (1674)
Leeuwenhoek began making and
looking through simple microscopes
He often made a new microscope
for each specimen
He e amined water and visualized
tiny animals, fungi, algae, and
single celled protozoa;
´animalculesµ
By end of 19th century, these
organisms were called microbes


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nton van Leeuwenhoek 1632-
1632-1723


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Leeuwenhoek·s Microscope


  
 Îohn Needham (1745)
jhowed that microorganisms
flourished in various soups that
had been e posed to the air
Claimed that there was a ´life
forceµ present in the molecules
of all inorganic matter
matter,, including
air and the o ygen in it, that
could cause spontaneous
generation to occur


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 Needham·s Results
Needham·s e periments
seemed to support the idea
of spontaneous generation
People didn·t realize bacteria
were already present in
Needham·s soups
Needham didn·t boil long
enough to kill the microbes


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Needham·s  periment


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 Lazzaro jpallanzani·s (1765)
Boiled soups for almost an hour
and sealed containers by melting
the slender necks closed_
The soups remained clear.
clear.
Later, he broke the seals & the
soups became cloudy with
microbes.


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jpallanzani·s Results


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 Conclusion
Critics said sealed vials did
not allow enough air for
organisms to survive and that
prolonged heating destroyed
´life forceµ
Therefore, spontaneous
generation remained the
theory of the time


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 The Theory
Finally Changes


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 How o Microbes rise?
By 1860
1860,, the debate had become so
heated that the Paris cademy of
jciences offered a prize for any
e periments that would help resolve
this conflict
The prize was claimed in 1864 by
Louis Pasteur,
Pasteur, as he published the
results of an e periment he did to
disproved spontaneous generation in
microscopic organisms


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Louis Pasteur (1822-
(1822-1895)


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 Pasteur's Problem
Hypothesis: Microbes come
from cells of organisms on dust
particles in the air; not the air
itself.
Pasteur put broth into several
special j-shaped flasks
ach flask was boiled and placed
at various locations


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Pasteur's  periment - Step 1
S-shaped Flask
Filled with broth
The special shaped was
intended to trap any
dust particles
containing bacteria


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Pasteur's  periment - Step 2
Flasks boiled
Microbes Killed


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Pasteur's  periment - Step 3
Flask left at various
locations
id not turn cloudy
Microbes not found
Notice the dust that
collected in the neck of
the flask


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Pasteur's  perimental Results


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 The Theory of Biogenesis
Pasteur·s j-shaped flask kept microbes
out but let air in.
in.
Proved microbes only come from other
microbes (life from life) - biogenesis


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Review


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 vidence Pro and Con
1668: Francisco Redi filled si
jars with decaying meat.
Conditions: Results:
3 jars covered with fine No maggots
net
3 open jars Maggots appeared

From where did the maggots come?

What was the purpose of the sealed jars?
jpontaneous generation or biogenesis?


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 vidence Pro and Con
1745: Îohn Needham put boiled
nutrient broth into covered flasks.

Conditions: Results:
Nutrient broth Microbial growth
heated, then placed
in sealed flask

From where did the microbes come?

jpontaneous generation or biogenesis?


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Evidence Pro and Con
1765: Lazzaro jpallanzani boiled
nutrient solutions in flasks.
Conditions: Results:
Nutrient broth No microbial
placed in flask, growth
heated, then
sealed
jpontaneous generation or
biogenesis?


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 vidence Pro and Con
1861: Louis Pasteur demonstrated
that microorganisms are present in
the air.
Conditions: Results:
Nutrient broth placed in Microbial growth
flask, heated, not
sealed
Nutrient broth placed in No microbial growth
flask, heated, then
sealed
jpontaneous generation or biogenesis?


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