BIOGENESIS
Presented by Group 3 HUMSS
Learning Objectives:
■To understand what is Biogenesis
■To know the multiple experiments of
Biogenesis
■Gain knowledge at the end of the
discussion
What is Biogenesis?
■Biogenesis is based on the theory that life
can only come from life, and it refers to any
process by which a lifeform can give rise to
other lifeforms. For instance, a chicken
laying eggs, which hatch and become baby
chicken.
What is Biogenesis?
■1. : the development of life from preexisting
life.
■2. : the synthesis of chemical compounds or
structures in the living organism compare
biosynthesis.
The History of Biogenesis
■ The theory of Biogenesis is based on the idea that
life can only come from life, and it refers to any
process by which a lifeform can give rise to
another lifeform. It is an important theory of
biology and molecular genetics, which postulates
the production of new living organisms from
preexisting life.
The History of Biogenesis
■ Biogenesis is the theory that living things can only
come from other living things. It was developed in
1858 by Rudolf Virchow as a counter-hypothesis to
spontaneous generation. Before Virchow, it was
widely accepted that microorganisms simply
appeared as a result of spontaneous generation..
The History of Biogenesis
■ The term ‘biogenesis’ comes from ‘bio’ meaning
‘life’, and ‘genesis’, meaning ‘beginning’. Rudolf
Virchow, in 1858, had come up with the
hypothesis of biogenesis, but could not
experimentally prove it. In 1859, Louis Pasteur set
up his demonstrative experiments to prove
biogenesis right down to a bacterial level.
The difference between the
Biogenesis and Spontaneous Theory
BIOGENESIS: SPONTANEOUS:
The experiments of Louis Pasteur Spontaneous generation or
were foundational to cell theory that abiogenesis is the exact opposite of
life came from life. Cell theory that biogenesis. Spontaneous generation
life came from life has become says that life can come from non life.
known as biogenesis. Biogenesis is Biognesis says that it impossible for
the theory that life only comes from life to come from non living matter.
life. This is also known as univocal The philosophy of material realism
generation that the offspring of cells requires that somehow life came
are the same as the parental cells from non living matter by totally
that they came from. natural causes.
DOES BIOGENESIS
IMPACT OUR LIVES?
THE
EXPERIMENTS
REDI’S
EXPERIME
NT
Redi went on to demonstrate
that dead maggots or flies would
not generate new flies when
placed on rotting meat in a
sealed jar, whereas live maggots
or flies would. This disproved
both the existence of some
essential component in once-
living organisms, and the
necessity of fresh air to
generate life..
NEEDHAM
EXPERIMEN
T
John Needham combined grain,
broth and meat and boiled the
mixture for several minutes. He
poured the broth into flasks and
sealed them with corks, then
waited for several days. The broth
showed microbial growth after this
time period, but that was because
the mixture hadn’t been boiled
sufficiently and the flasks hadn’t
been sanitized.
SPALLANZA
NI
EXPERIMEN
The Spallanzani experiment was a
T
replication of the Needham
experiment, but with a few important
changes. The Spallanzani experiment
used aseptic techniques, by boiling
the experimental mixture for a longer
period of time than Needham had and
by sanitizing the flasks the mixture
was held in for the experimental
period. Spallanzani’s Experiment
thereby proved spontaneous
generation does not exist.
PASTEUR
EXPERIEME
NT
Pasteur’s experiment consisted of
boiled broth in flasks with S-shaped
necks. The broth was boiled after
being poured into the flasks to
destroy any living microorganisms
that may have been present in the
broth. The S-shaped necks
prevented microorganisms from
entering and contaminating the
broth after boiling.
The impact of pasteur’s
work
■ Pasteur showed that the growth of bacteria in nutrient
broths is not due to spontaneous generation, but rather
to biogenesis, literally life from life. He further showed
that fermentation is caused by the growth of micro-
organisms.
■ By sterilizing cultures and keeping them isolated from the
open air, Pasteur found that contamination of the media
only occurred upon exposure to the outside environment,
showing that some element was needed to give rise to
life. In other words, life does not arise spontaneously.
THE IMPACTS OF
EXPERIMENT
The Impacts of Experiments
■The Experiments prove that there is a
development that happened from the pre-
existing life, this can apply in other forms of
like such as animals that develop or
produce a new living form whilst being
existed.
The Overall of Biogenesis
■The understanding of Biogenesis gives us
more idea of what the development that
happens through the use of experiments
and theories that can be used and prove of
what is Biogenesis.
THANK YOU!
