Which of the following statements is the best definition of biogenesis?
a. Nonliving matter gives rise to living organisms.
b. Living cells can only arise from preexisting cells.
c. A vital force is necessary for life.
d. Air is necessary for living organisms.
e. Microorganisms can be generated from nonliving matter.

Question

Which of the following statements is the best definition of biogenesis?

a. Nonliving matter gives rise to living organisms.

b. Living cells can only arise from preexisting cells.

c. A vital force is necessary for life.

d. Air is necessary for living organisms.

e. Microorganisms can be generated from nonliving matter.

Accepted Answer

Hello and welcome. Our next question says the statement, life can only come from pre pre existing life is from which theory A biogenesis. B spontaneous generation, c evolution or D A biogenesis. So when trying to recall this, here's where thinking about prefixes can come in handy. We have that prefix bio meaning dealing with life. So that would lead us to choice. A biogenesis, which was our is our correct answer and would also help us eliminate the similar name a biogenesis since A is sort of a negatory prefix meaning without. So indeed, biogenesis is this theory. So this is as opposed to the theory of spontaneous generation, spontaneous generation, said that you could have life arise from nonliving matter in the form of in the days of the Greeks. Some people thought that mice arose spontaneously from grain. And then in more modern times, when there was the observation that if you exposed a nutrient broth to air, you'd get microbial growth. And it was thought perhaps that just arose spontaneously from the non loving matter of the broth or from the air. So choice B not the right theory, biogenesis then said after Pasteur's experiments that you needed living things to generate other living things, you couldn't spontaneously generate living things. So choice a biogenesis is our correct answer of saying. Now, of course, in current times, we understand that life arose at the earliest stages from nonliving organic compounds. So from amino acids that build up into proteins that built up into self replicating molecules and at some point developed a cell membrane. So this was beyond Louis Pasteur's ability to understand. But we would say now this is kind of the current thought that the very beginnings of life were these simple organic compounds that built up in complexity. Note that we have theories about how this be this happened in the earliest history, but this has never been shown experimentally. The closest would be the Miller experiments which showed that amino acids could be generated from very simple organic compounds or from simple elements in conditions similar to early early early earth. But that didn't show the arri arrival of living organisms. But that's why choice D is not correct. And then choice c evolution is the theory that was developed later on. So when we talk about biogenesis, we're talking about the very, you know, just the growth of living organisms. Whereas evolution talks about the change in the genetic characteristics in an entire biological population and how forces like natural selection drive that change over time. So not the theory we're looking for. And a theory that arose much later than Pasteur's experiments proving the theory of or developing the theory of biogenesis. So choice C is incorrect. So once again, the statement that life can only come from pre-existing life is from the theory of choice. A biogenesis. See you in the next video.

Verified Solution

Key Concepts

Biogenesis

Abiogenesis

Cell Theory