The theory that living organisms arise spontaneously from non-living matter without any external influence.
From Greek 'auto-' (self) and 'genesis' (origin). Popular in ancient and medieval biology, the term crystallized in the 19th century during the spontaneous generation debates.
People once genuinely believed life sprang forth fully formed from soil, swamps, and rotting meat—until scientists realized invisible bacteria, not magic, were doing the creating.
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