M5 - How did life originate on Earth? Flashcards
What is Creationism?
Creationism is the belief that life and human beings were created by a supreme or divine being, often based on religious texts like the Bible or the Koran.
GOD
What is Spontaneous Generation?
The theory that life could arise spontaneously from non-living matter, such as worms emerging from rotting food.
Who refuted the theory of Spontaneous Generation?
Francesco Redi and Louis Pasteur conducted experiments that disproved spontaneous generation, establishing the principle of biogenesis.
What is the principle of biogenesis?
The principle that living organisms can only come from other living organisms.
What is the Panspermia hypothesis?
The idea that life, or its basic components, arrived on Earth from space via meteorites, comets, or cosmic dust.
What are the major arguments against Panspermia?
a) Outer space is not conducive to the survival of spores or microorganisms.
b) It does not explain how life originated, only shifting the origin to another location.
What is Abiogenesis or Chemical Evolution?
The theory that life originated from non-living chemical substances under early Earth conditions, leading to the formation of complex biomolecules.
What was the Oparin-Haldane theory about the primitive Earth?
The early Earth had a reducing atmosphere, rich in gases like methane (CH₄), ammonia (NH₃), molecular hydrogen (H₂), water vapor (H₂O), and carbon dioxide (CO₂), but lacking free oxygen.
What energy sources helped form complex biomolecules according to Abiogenesis?
Ultraviolet radiation and cosmic rays provided energy for the formation of complex biomolecules from simpler molecules.
