# How Did Life Begin? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 17, 2009, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-life-begin/514144 "2009-10-17T16:05:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-life-begin/514144/21 "2009-10-17T22:56:03Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > I voted “naturalistic” but I meant abiogenesis. > > What’s with all these badly worded polls? I agree. I was about to bitch about not having enough choices (having no imagination I didn’t think of selecting “Other”). The poll needs to be redone with a proper set of choices. Don’t forget panspermia as well (not saying that I would pick that; just that it should be included). ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-life-begin/514144/22 "2009-10-17T23:11:17Z")
> [@Canadjun](#): > > I agree. I was about to bitch about not having enough choices (having no imagination I didn’t think of selecting “Other”). > > The poll needs to be redone with a proper set of choices. Don’t forget panspermia as well (not saying that I would pick that; just that it should be included). “Panspermia” is no more an answer to the question of the origins of life than evolution is. It just pushes the mystery back another level. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-life-begin/514144/23 "2009-10-17T23:18:06Z")
I started another, hopefully better worded poll, [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=536341). ---
**Author:** ![Stringer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Stringer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringer)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-life-begin/514144/24 "2009-10-18T01:33:35Z")
Timecube, duh. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-life-begin/514144/25 "2009-10-18T01:39:48Z")
Evolution is not a theory of the origin of life. Evolution has nothing to do with the origin of life. Evolution only explains what happened after life had already begun. Abiogenesis is a separate phenomoneon from evolution. The correct answer to the poll is “none of the above,” but there’s no reason to believe it was supernatural, and there are multiple naturalistic models which work. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-life-begin/514144/26 "2009-10-18T03:37:52Z")
One word: Midichlorians. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-life-begin/514144/27 "2009-10-18T04:29:55Z")
Have to go with “Other” because as I understand it, evolution has nothing to do with how life began. Well… perhaps not NOTHING because I suppose there was an “evolution” from non-living to living things. But I don’t think that is what the OP meant by “Evolution”. Maybe this has already been hashed over. I posted this before reading any of the responses. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-life-begin/514144/28 "2009-10-18T04:33:42Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > “Panspermia” is no more an answer to the question of the origins of life than evolution is. It just pushes the mystery back another level. Pan-spermia _does_, however, answer some of the questions about pan-fried semen. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-life-begin/514144/29 "2009-10-18T04:37:23Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > Pan-spermia _does_, however, answer some of the questions about pan-fried semen. 😉 The usual feckless threats. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-life-begin/514144/30 "2009-10-18T04:48:40Z")
Frying’s so bad for you – wouldn’t baked semen better nowadays? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Myself](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8491ac/32.png) [@Myself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myself)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-life-begin/514144/31 "2009-10-18T05:44:04Z")
\*\*Life began the moment I was born. \*\* The rest of you only think you were here before or after that. You are here only for my amusement, education and aggravation. Sorry to say, you are doing better at the last, and not so swell at the first. But do keep trying. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-life-begin/514144/32 "2009-10-18T06:47:14Z")
Other - abiogenesis ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-life-begin/514144/33 "2009-10-18T10:03:16Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Theisitic evolution is related to intelligent design. The theory is that some higher being, like God or a Pak Protector or the Soro, observed existing lifeforms and gave their genes an occasional nudge in the direction he wanted them to go. No, it isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-life-begin/514144/34 "2009-10-18T11:15:47Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > Other. > > Evolution is irrelevant to the origin of life. Yup. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-life-begin/514144/35 "2009-10-18T13:40:55Z")
Reptilian Overlords science project gone awry. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-life-begin/514144/36 "2009-10-18T14:40:54Z")
I voted other, because _all_ of the other answers are invalid-evolution has nothing to do with how began. ---
**Author:** ![as\_u\_wish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6f9a4e/32.png) [@as\_u\_wish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/as_u_wish)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-life-begin/514144/37 "2009-10-18T16:36:23Z")
I put old earth creationism–but I’m really not sure how to answer–because I think the “origin of life” is a totally separate issue from “evolution” which I believe is a system God created to allow life (which he created) to change and interact in a multitude of exciting ways. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-life-begin/514144.md?page=1)