What is the theory of abiogenesis?

Answer

Abiogenesis is the concept of life originating from non-living material (non-life). This idea has evolved significantly as humanity’s understanding of science has advanced, but all forms of abiogenesis share a common trait: they lack scientific support. There have been no experiments demonstrating abiogenesis in progress. It has never been observed in either a natural or artificial setting. Conditions thought to have existed on Earth are either unable to produce the necessary building blocks or are self-contradictory. No evidence has been discovered indicating where or when such life could have emerged. In reality, all current scientific knowledge suggests that abiogenesis could not have occurred under any naturally feasible circumstances.

Early concepts of abiogenesis were quite simplistic. Rotting meat would quickly become infested with maggots, leading to the assumption that the meat transformed into maggots. Mice were commonly found in areas where hay was stored, leading to the belief that hay transformed into mice. This form of abiogenesis is referred to as “spontaneous generation.” This was actually the prevailing scientific explanation for the reproduction of living organisms just a few centuries ago. It wasn’t until the mid-1800s that individuals like Pasteur experimentally demonstrated that living organisms can only arise from other living organisms. In other words, science eventually definitively established that the only verifiable source for any living cell is another living cell.

Modern concepts of abiogenesis can be highly intricate, with some being more extraordinarily improbable than others. The hypotheses range widely, from deep-sea lava vents to meteor impact sites and even radioactive beaches. Generally, all contemporary theories of abiogenesis envision a scenario in which natural conditions lead to the creation, combination, and organization of molecules in a manner that initiates self-replication. These theories differ significantly in terms of the nature of these conditions, the com

Complexity of the molecules, and so forth. All share at least one common factor: they are implausible to the point of impossibility, based on established science.

One problem with modern abiogenesis is the extraordinary complexity of living organisms. Experiments have proven that very simple amino acids can be formed in laboratory conditions. However, these separate acids are nowhere near sufficient to create a living cell. The conditions that create these acids would not only kill any such cell as soon as it was formed but are also unlikely to have ever actually existed at any time in Earth’s history. Any evolutionary theory that seems to suggest how ultra-simple life could have developed from a single newly formed cell has no answer for how that cell could have been formed in the first place. There is no “prototype first cell.” Science has never even come close to producing a self-sustaining living cell that could have been produced by or survived in the conditions needed to form its components.

It has been said that “death is philosophy’s only problem.” This may or may not be true, but dealing with death presents a major challenge to any philosophical view. In much the same way, abiogenesis is the scientific naturalist’s biggest problem. There are naturalistic guesses about how life could have begun without any Creator or Designer. And yet, these purely natural explanations are thoroughly refuted by science itself. It is ironic that so many people proclaim scientific naturalism to be “proven,” “established,” or “demonstrated” so clearly. And yet, naturalism is necessarily linked to abiogenesis, which is scientifically impossible.

The overwhelming evidence that life cannot come from non-life is a powerful indication that naturalism is not a realistic worldview. Life either had a natural origin (abiogenesis) or a supernatural origin (intelligent design). The scientific impossibility of abiogenesis is an argument for, at least, a supernatural originator. The only way to create even the most

Basic building blocks of life are in non-natural, highly designed, and tightly controlled conditions. That, by itself, makes it reasonable to presume that life cannot begin without intelligent intervention.