Theories About The Origin Of Life On Earth

Question 1

Life came from a divine being

Answer 1

Theory of divine creation (theory of creationism)

Question 2

Life forms and everything in the universe were created through supernatural powers rather than naturalistic means

Answer 2

Theory of divine creation (theory of creationism)

Question 3

The first life form came from an inanimate object and life could appear from non living materials

Answer 3

Theory of spontaneous origin (theory of abiogenesis)

Question 4

Supported by John Needham, Aristotle, Epicurus and Von Helmont

Answer 4

Theory of spontaneous origin (theory of abiogenesis)

Question 5

Tried to prove spontaneous generation by boiling broth but the duration of boiling was not enough to kill all the microbes present in the broth

Answer 5

John Needham

Question 6

Life comes only from a living material

Answer 6

Theory of biogenesis

Question 7

Made an experiment using maggots that arose in decaying meat; life arose from living matter like maggots from eggs

Answer 7

Francesco Redi

Question 8

Stated that microorganisms came from other microorganisms; supporters of abiogenesis rejected his experiment because he excluded air from his sealed flask and tiny organisms from the air caused growth in the flask

Answer 8

Lazzaro Spallanzani

Question 9

Finally disproved the theory of abiogenesis by boiling sugar solution in open flasks that had long S curved necks; organisms dont arise from spontaneous generation

Answer 9

Louis Pasteur

Question 10

Life evolved in oceans during the period when the atmosphere was containing methane, ammonia, hydrogen gas and water (that forms amino acids)

Answer 10

Theory of biochemical evolution

Question 11

Father of prebiotic chemistry

Answer 11

Stanley miller

Question 12

Performed an experiment based on oparin’s hypothesis

Answer 12

Stanley miller

Question 13

By sparking an atmosphere, hoped to generate new chemicals that would rain into the tiny ocean and react to form something; water turned into a rich broth of amino acids

Answer 13

Miller-Urey experiment

Question 14

Flaw of the Miller-Urey experiment; composed of cyanobacteria which releases oxygen

Answer 14

Stromatolites

Question 15

Groups of organic molecules were formed from the chemical elements in the earth’s primitive ocean and became more complex and is now capable of metabolic processes

Answer 15

Heterotroph theory

Question 16

Proposed the heterotroph theory

Answer 16

A. Oparin

Question 17

Can produce their own food

Answer 17

Autotrophs

Question 18

Cannot produce their own food; feed on organic material; release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which allow for the evolution of photosynthetic autotrophs

Answer 18

Heterotrophs

Question 19

Hydrothermal vents provide an ideal environment with all the ingredients needed for microbial life and to emerge on early earth

Answer 19

Deep sea hydrothermal vent theory

Question 20

Simple sulfur-containing compound that is a supposed geologic precursor of the Acetyl-CoA enzyme present in many organisms including humans

Answer 20

Methanethiol

Question 21

Suggested that life on earth did not originate in our planet but was transported here from somewhere else in the universe

Answer 21

Richter

Question 22

Evolution of life into higher forms is dependent on the genetics of the original microbe/s that came from space

Answer 22

Theory of Panspermia

Question 23

Theorized that comets could carry bacteria across galaxies while simultaneously protect them from damage

Answer 23

Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe

Question 24

Contains a medley of elements and compounds that can very well form the basis of life

Answer 24

Cosmic dust