Bio Adv: Unit 1 - The Study of Life Study Guide 6

spontaneous generation

the idea that living things can arise randomly out of non-living matter

biogenesis

all life comes from previously existing life

archebiosis

implies that life, while coming from nonliving matter, does so in accordance to natural law

What is spontaneous generation?

The idea that living things can arise randomly out of non-living matter.

What is biogenesis?

The principle that all life comes from previously existing life.

What is archebiosis?

The concept that life comes from nonliving matter in accordance with natural law.

Who coined the term archebiosis?

Henry Bastian.

Who was the first philosopher to propose the theory of spontaneous generation?

Aristotle.

What observation led Aristotle to believe in spontaneous generation?

He observed frogs appearing to emerge directly out of mud.

What did Francesco Redi's experiment with rotting meat and maggots demonstrate?

That maggots did not come from the meat itself, but from eggs laid by flies hovering over the uncovered samples.

What was Francesco Redi's famous conclusion regarding the origin of life?

That life did not come from decaying matter, but proceeded from parent to offspring ("all life comes from life").

How did John Turberville Needham conduct his experiment on spontaneous generation?

He heated mutton gravy in glass tubes until boiling under the assumption that boiling killed all existing life.

What did John Turberville Needham conclude from his experiment?

That microorganisms arose spontaneously from non-living matter due to a special life-giving force in molecules.

How did Lazzaro Spallanzani modify John Turberville Needham's experiment?

He sealed the test tubes tightly and boiled the gravy for a full hour, observing no microorganisms forming.

What two main flaws did Lazzaro Spallanzani find in Needham's experiment?

Needham did not seal his tubes tightly enough (causing contamination) and did not boil the gravy long enough to kill all organisms.

What special equipment did Louis Pasteur design to settle the debate on spontaneous generation?

The swan-necked flask, which allowed air in while trapping microbes.

What theory did Louis Pasteur's swan-necked flask experiment strongly support?

Biogenic theory (biogenesis - all life comes from previously existing life).

What role did Thomas Henry Huxley play in the biogenesis debate?

He popularized Louis Pasteur's experimental results.

Why did Henry Bastian support spontaneous generation over biogenesis?

He favored Darwin's theory of evolution, believing the first life emerged from non-life and that microorganisms continued to do so through natural law.