Relating to or characterized by autogenesis, the theory that life originates from non-living matter through self-generation.
From 'autogenesis' (auto- + genesis, meaning self-origin), formed in the 19th century during debates about spontaneous generation versus evolution.
Naturalists hotly debated whether life could spontaneously arise from mud or air in the 1800s—autogeneal theories lost out when Pasteur proved germs, not magical self-creation, caused things to decay.
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