Spontaneous generation is a superseded scientific theory that held that living creatures could arise from non-living matter and that such processes were commonplace and regular.

Spontaneous generation, the hypothetical process by which living organisms develop from nonliving matter; also, the archaic theory that utilized this process to explain the origin of life.

Religion, philosophy, and science have all wrestled with this question. One of the oldest explanations was the theory of spontaneous generation, which can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and was …

Jan 13, 2026 · The theory of spontaneous generation was a long-held belief that living creatures could regularly emerge from non-living matter. For many centuries, this idea was the dominant explanation …

Mar 28, 2024 · The spontaneous generation theory, as delineated by Aristotle in his seminal work “On the Generation of Animals” circa 350 B.C., offers a scientific proposition to elucidate the seemingly …

May 12, 2025 · The meaning of SPONTANEOUS GENERATION is a now-discredited notion that living organisms spontaneously originate directly from nonliving matter. How to use spontaneous …

Aug 2, 2025 · Spontaneous generation was a historical concept proposing that living organisms could arise directly from non-living matter. For centuries, this belief offered an explanation for the …

May 30, 2017 · The theory of spontaneous generation, first comprehensively posited by Aristotle in his book ”On the Generation of Animals” around 350 B.C., aims to explain the seemingly sudden …

This page explores the origins of life and the evolution of organisms, contrasting spontaneous generation with natural processes. It outlines the historical shift from supernatural beliefs to …

For centuries, at least back to the 4th century BC until the late nineteenth century, people (including scientists) believed that simple living organisms could come into being by "spontaneous generation." …