Difference Between Biogenesis and Abiogenesis

Difference Between Biogenesis and Abiogenesis

Biogenesis means making new living things. More specifically, it is the theory that living things only come from other living things through reproduction. Abiogenesis, also called spontaneous generation, means life coming from non-living things.

Biogenesis

• In 1864, Louis Pasteur conducted the first experiment that showed conclusively that living things comes from other living things.
  
• The earliest forms of life on Earth were microorganisms which first appeared somewhere between 3.8 billion and 4.3 billion years ago. These microorganisms may have formed in hot thermal vents in the oceans.
  
• Antoni van Leeuwenhoek’s work to improve microscope lenses in the mid-1600’s made it possible to see the living organisms in a drop of pond water, furthering the understanding about where life comes from.
  

Abiogenesis

• In earlier times, people thought that mice came from straw, rotting meat would transform directly into flies and fleas were created from sand.
  
• Unlike biogenesis, abiogenesis has never been observed.
  
• Some form of abiogenesis may be responsible for the beginning of life in the universe and on Earth.
  
• Aristotle (384-322 BCE) was one of the earliest scientists to describe a theory for abiogenesis in which all life arose directly from different combinations of earth, wind, fire and water.
  

Comparison Chart

	Biogenesis	Abiogenesis
Examples	Cell division, flies come from larvae, baby mice created by adult males and females.	Spontaneous generation.
Experimental Evidence	Yes, seen in the lab.	No, never observed.
Time period	Mid-19th century to present.	Early Greeks to mid-19th century.

References

• Biogenesis. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved May 23, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biogenesis.


• Abiogenesis. (2017, May 23). In Encyclopedia Britannica online. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/science/abiogenesis.

Difference Between Biogenesis and Abiogenesis