Faculty Publications and Presentations
Publication Date
2000
Document Type
Article
Disciplines
Biology | Chemistry
Abstract
After the theory of spontaneous generation was discredited, only religious explanations were offered to explain the origin of life. Alexander Oparin (1894-1980), an atheist, suggested that natural chemical reactions produced biological molecules that came together to form the first living thing. Later, Stanley Miller tested this hypothesis and produced chemical "building blocks" but not life itself. In spite of much progress, there is still no clear consensus on how life originated on Earth. Some scientists are even looking to outer space for the origin of life.
Recommended Citation
DeWitt, David A., "Theories of the Origin and Early Evolution of Life" (2000). Faculty Publications and Presentations. 93.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/bio_chem_fac_pubs/93
Comments
Book contribution in Science and Its Times: Understanding the Social Significance of Scientific Discovery. Schlager, N., Ed. Gale Research Group, Detroit, pp. 112-115 (2000). Used with permission.