The term 'Hot dilute soup' is used by:

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 1:
The term 'Hot dilute soup,' also known as the primordial soup or primeval soup, was a concept introduced by J.B.S. Haldane, a British evolutionary biologist, in 1929. This hypothesis described the conditions on early Earth that he believed were necessary for the origin of life. Haldane proposed that the Earth's early atmosphere was reducing (lacked free oxygen) and contained gases such as methane, ammonia, water vapor, and hydrogen. Energy sources like lightning and ultraviolet radiation caused these simple inorganic molecules to react, forming more complex organic molecules, such as amino acids and nucleotides. These organic molecules accumulated in the oceans, forming a "hot dilute soup" where they could further interact and polymerize, eventually leading to the formation of the first living cells. This idea, often paired with the work of Alexander Oparin, forms the basis of the Oparin-Haldane hypothesis, a cornerstone in abiogenesis research.

The incorrect option is 2: Van Helmont. Jan Baptist van Helmont was a 17th-century Flemish scientist known for his experiments on plant growth and his contributions to the understanding of gases. He is not associated with the "hot dilute soup" theory but rather with early ideas about spontaneous generation and the willow tree experiment.

The incorrect option is 3: Pasteur. Louis Pasteur was a French microbiologist and chemist famous for his experiments that disproved the theory of spontaneous generation for microorganisms and for his work on pasteurization and vaccination. His contributions were crucial in establishing the biogenesis principle (life comes from life), which is distinct from the origin of life from non-living matter.

The incorrect option is 4: Redi. Francesco Redi was an Italian physician who, in the 17th century, conducted experiments that disproved the spontaneous generation of maggots from decaying meat. His work was an early challenge to the idea of spontaneous generation for larger organisms, demonstrating that life arises from pre-existing life.