LIFE AND ITS BEGINNINGS

Early beliefs about the origin of life

Centuries ago, people were puzzled about how life originated on earth. One
belief that government their thinking is the theory of
Spontaneous generation is the idea that life could appear from nonliving
Materials. This idea was proposed by ARISTOTLE in the fourth century and
Held its position as the belief on the origin of life until the seventeenth
Century. People in the past believed that flies could grow from cattle
manure, Mice from wheat stored in the dark, maggots from decaying meat,
fish from mud of previously dried leaves, or lice from sweat. As time went
by scientist questioned this belief and began to explore an opposing idea.
Biogenesis is the belief that life originates from preexisting life. Since then
several experiment have been conducted to prove those contradicting
beliefs to know how came about.

VIROLOGIST
Viruses are one of the most dangerous enemies of living organism in the
modern world. Viruses are minute infections agent the reproduce only
inside the living cells, of their short such as human animals plants even
bacteria. Scientist who specialized on the study of viruses are called
virologist.
In the Philippines a batchelor’s degree in biology or microbiology is the best
sleeping stone to become a virologist. However one must enroll in graduate
programs and certificate courses and attend intensive training seminars to
be an expert on virology. A virologist typically works in a research
laboratory hospital or research institutions in the academe, government or
private pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Since viruses are a
very diverse group of infections agents, virologist may be involved in a
variety of expertise such as medical virology. Virologist may also work as
science writer in newspaper and science magazines or as volunteers in
health organization.
REDI’S EXPERIMENT
In 1668, Italian physician Francesco Redi conducted an experiment that
challenge the idea of spontaneous generation. His experiment that
challenge the idea of spontaneous generation using maggots that arose in
decaying meat. He designed the experiment using two sets of jars that
were identical but the other with a gauze covering. Redi observed that flies
were attracted to both jars but settled only on the meat of the open jar
since the gauze blocked flies from hovering onto a meat in the other jar
after several days redi observed that maggots arose from eggs laid by flies
on the rotten meat but not on the meat in the covered jar. He conclude
that life arose from living matter such or maggots from egg, not from
spontaneous generation in the meat.

Redi's experiment disproving

the theory of spontaneous generation.

NEEDHAM’S EXPERIMENT
In 1748, english priest john Needham challenged redi’s experiment it was a
common knowledge at that time that boiling could kill microorganism.
Needham’s experiment taste whether or not microorganism can appear
spontaneously after boiling. He placed a solution of boiled mutton broth in
a container and heated it then the sealed it with corks proving that it could
prevent anything from the environment from entering the flask and
generate life. After several days needhom observed that the broth turned
Cloudly and full of microorganism he then conclude that life in the broth
was cause by spontaneous generation. In activity. He did not heat it long
enough to kill all the microbes in the broth.
 Needham’s experiment
proving the theory of
spontaneous generation.

SPALLAZANI’S EXPERIMENT
In 1767, Halian scientist lazaro spallanzani, changeded needham’s
experiment. Spallanzani boiled a broth containing meat and vegetable
placed in clean glass containers. Both containers were boiled but one syrup
was not scaled, allowing sit to enter the flask. Several days later, the open
container was filled with a population of microorganism but he sealed
container remained sterile. He conclude that life occurred from something
that entered the unsealed flask and that was the one responsible that life
to grow. The result we’ve not taken completely by believes of a biogenesis
who even stated that spallanzani exclude air from his sealed flask, which
they believe was needed for spontaneous generation to occur

Spallanzani’s experiment to disprove

the theory of spontaneous generation.