Biyogenez

Biyogenez, or biogenesis, is the principle that living organisms arise from pre-existing life rather than emerging spontaneously from non-living matter. It asserts that every form of life comes into being through reproduction and growth of already living organisms, and that genetic information is passed from parent to offspring.

Historical evidence for biogenesis grew through a series of experiments in the 17th to 19th centuries. Francesco Redi’s experiments in 1668 challenged spontaneous generation by showing that maggots only appeared on meat when flies could access it. Lazzaro Spallanzani’s sealed broth experiments reinforced the idea that microorganisms come from existing microbes. Louis Pasteur’s swan-neck flask experiments in 1861 provided strong evidence against spontaneous generation by demonstrating that air alone does not produce life unless microbes enter a nutrient solution. The development of cell theory in the 19th century—Schleiden and Schwann proposing that cells are the basic units of life, and Virchow’s assertion that new cells arise from existing cells—further anchored biogenesis as a central biological principle.

In modern biology, biogenesis encompasses cellular reproduction and growth through processes such as mitosis, meiosis, and various reproductive strategies (sexual and asexual). Genetic inheritance, DNA replication, and cellular division underlie the continuity of life. The concept is distinguished from abiogenesis, the study of how life might have originated from non-living matter under early Earth conditions. Research into the origin of life explores plausible scenarios and chemical pathways, but biogenesis remains the foundational rule for how life propagates once it exists. Some discussions also consider viruses, which reproduce only within host cells, highlighting nuances at the boundary between living and non-living systems.