Q."Theory of Chemical evolution is a version of theory of abiogenesis". Analyse the statement.
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Abiogenesis is the general idea that life originated from non-living matter; chemical evolution is the specific, evidence-backed mechanism (Oparin–Haldane hypothesis, supported by the Miller-Urey experiment) proposed for how this actually happened.
Abiogenesis is the broad hypothesis that life originated from pre-existing non-living (inorganic/simple organic) matter, as opposed to special creation or life always having existed. The classical, discredited notion of "spontaneous generation" (that complex living organisms like maggots or mice arise instantly from non-living matter) is also sometimes loosely called abiogenesis but has been disproved (e.g. by Louis Pasteur).
The modern, scientifically accepted version of abiogenesis is the theory of chemical evolution, proposed by Oparin and Haldane. It states that the first life on Earth arose gradually through a sequence of chemical reactions under the conditions of primitive Earth (reducing atmosphere containing methane, ammonia, hydrogen, water vapour; energy from UV radiation, lightning, heat): simple inorganic molecules combined to form organic monomers (amino acids, nucleotides, sugars), which then polymerised into macromolecules (proteins, nucleic acids), which organised into protobiont-like aggregates capable of self-replication and metabolism, eventually giving rise to the first primitive cells. This stepwise chemical origin was experimentally supported by the Miller-Urey experiment, which …
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