Abiogenesis

The “law” of biogenesis was a principle that emerged when it was realised that maggots didn’t spontaneously arise from meat and that mice didn’t automatically generate from hay as were once believed. It wasn’t meant to rule out the possibility of abiogenesis. It is a bit like the second “law” of thermodynamics, Occam’s razor and Hector Barbossa’s view of pirate parley. It’s more of a guideline than a rule.

Despite claims to the contrary, Pasteur didn’t show that it was impossible for life to arise from non life. He showed that the commonly held myth that life regularly sprang fully formed from non living material was mistaken. He didn’t even disprove the doctrine of spontaneous generation given that it isn’t possible to prove something doesn’t exist by failing to find it. Those who denied the existence of non-white swans eventually learnt this valuable lesson.

On a side note, while working as the student assistant at the Macleay Museum at the University of Sydney in 1974 and 1975, I came across a sealed bulb of clear broth sent to the museum by Pasteur. The museum apparently had no idea that they had it. They also didn’t realise that they had a glass container with a sample of dynamite sent to the museum by Alfred Noble. Unfortunately the dynamite had leaked a large puddle of what turned out to be nitroglycerin. The University “hazmat” team came and took it away, the same team that would come and clean up mercury spills when thermometers broke. Those were the days.

The bulb pictured is probably the one I found since it's in a collection at the University of Sydney.