Summery: 1

Evolution and theories of origin of life

Evolution is the process by which a population’s genetic makeup changes over generations, driven by mechanisms such as meiosis, hybridization, natural selection, and mutation, potentially leading to the emergence of new species. The origin of life has long been debated, historically between intelligent design and creationism, while modern theories like the Big Bang offer explanations for the evolution of complex life from simple cells. Several theories attempt to explain the origin of life: Special Creationism posits that life was created by supernatural or divine forces, with variations such as Young Earth creationism, Old Earth creationism, and Theistic evolution. Spontaneous Generation, or Abiogenesis, was the belief that life arose from non-living matter, which was ultimately disproven by Louis Pasteur’s experiments. The Eternity of Life theory suggests that life has always existed as a fundamental characteristic of the universe. The Cosmozoan Theory, or Panspermia, proposes that life came to Earth from space, carried by meteorites or cosmic materials. The Biochemical Origin theory, supported by Oparin-Haldane and later by Miller’s experiments, suggests that life evolved through biochemical reactions from simple organic molecules formed in Earth’s early atmosphere. Autotrophs, organisms that produce their own food, are categorized into Chemoautotrophs, which obtain energy from chemical reactions using inorganic materials, and Photoautotrophs, which use light energy to produce organic materials essential to all food chains.