autogenesis

Autogenesis is a term used in biology to denote self-originating processes or self-originating development, especially in discussions about the origin of life. Derived from Greek auto- meaning “self” and genesis meaning “origin,” it is sometimes employed to describe how complex biological organization could arise from simpler, self-organizing chemical systems without external templates. In this usage, autogenesis contrasts with abiogenesis, though in practice the distinction is not consistently maintained; many scientists simply refer to abiogenesis as the origin of life from nonliving matter.

Historically, autogenesis appeared in 19th- and early 20th-century debates about spontaneous generation and the emergence of life. Some proponents argued that living systems could arise de novo through autonomous self-replication and metabolic organization, whereas others insisted that life requires preexisting life or staged processes.

In contemporary discourse, autogenesis is not a widely used technical term in origin-of-life research. The concept overlaps with discussions of autocatalytic networks, self-organization, and protocell models, which explore how self-sustaining chemical systems might evolve toward Darwinian replication and complexity. It is sometimes mentioned in popular science or historical overviews as an alternative framing to abiogenesis, but modern research typically uses more precise terms such as abiogenesis, chemical evolution, or protocell theory.

Because the term has varied historical usage and lacks a single agreed definition, readers should consider the context in which autogenesis is used to determine whether it refers to the origin of life, developmental autogenesis in organisms, or a philosophical notion of self-originating processes.