L’Abiogenesi

With the term Abiogenesi (the greek a-bio-genesis, “non-biological origin”) means, in its most general sense, the spontaneous generation of life from inert matter. Today the term is mostly used to refer to the theories on the origin of life from chemicals, or primordial soup, probably through some intermediate stages, as the molecules that self-replicating.

Some laboratory experiments have shown that in an atmosphere of methane rich, hydrogen, ammonia and water vapor, similar in composition to Earth when the origin of life, it has been possible to generate typical compounds of living organisms, by the joint action of solar energy, natural radioactivity, of cosmic rays and the electrical discharges of lightning, at the expense of inert organic molecules present in the environment oceanic.

Today, as in the past, There are many people who believe nell'abiogenesi. As noted by Franco De Angelis (The origin of life for abiogenesis), the scientific community is very divided on this issue, because, until a few years most scientists thought possible in their time abiogenesis, but they were refuted by the experiments of Lazzaro Spallanzani and Pasteur, while today, it is believed that abiogenesis was possible thousands of years ago or in thousands of years, but not today.

Redi Experiments, Spallanzani, Pasteur

Over two thousand years ago Aristotle postulated a “active principle” able to give birth to a new living being from decaying materials: this theory said abiogenetica He resisted unchallenged until the mid-17th century.

Francesco Redi, unable to accept the idea that the flies were born from the rotting flesh carried out the following experiment: He took three pieces of meat from the same cut and put them in as many containers which then held for the same time under the same conditions. One of the containers was closed by a lid, the second was opened and the third closed by a gauze. After a few days the meat contained in the open vessel swarming with maggots, which they were absent in the container closed by the lid and that teemed on the gauze of the third. It was evident that the flies recalled the smell laid eggs in the flesh if the container was opened, the smell of the still stimulated to lay eggs on gauze that prevented reaching the meat.

When they invented the microscope and saw for the first time the microorganisms, It was given new impetus all'abiogenesi. It was thought that such tiny beings could have a play like other living things.

Lazarus Spallanzani, putting vegetable juices in closed containers and bollendone the contents to destroy the microorganisms present in them proved otherwise: after a few days the examination of the containers revealed no traces of life. His critics accused him of having destroyed, by boiling, at the “active principle” infused in substances.

Fu Louis Pasteur who with his experiments gave the coup de grace all'abiogenesi.