Which explanation for the origin of life on Earth proposes that seeds of life exist throughout the universe and can be transferred from one location to another?

Which explanation for the origin of life on Earth proposes that seeds of life exist throughout the universe and can be transferred from one location to another?

• A. Abiogenesis
• B. Panspermia
• C. Endosymbiotic Theory
• D. Creationism

Answer: (B)

Panspermia proposes that seeds of life exist throughout the universe and can be transferred from one location to another, such as hitchhiking on meteorites or comets and surviving space travel to seed a new world. This idea shifts the origin question from how life began on Earth to how life arrived here from elsewhere. Abiogenesis explains life arising from nonliving chemistry on Earth, so it addresses a terrestrial origin rather than interstellar transfer. Endosymbiotic Theory describes how complex cells acquired organelles through long-term symbiotic relationships, not how life started or moved across space. Creationism attributes life to divine creation. Therefore, the description matches panspermia.

Panspermia proposes that seeds of life exist throughout the universe and can be transferred from one location to another, such as hitchhiking on meteorites or comets and surviving space travel to seed a new world. This idea shifts the origin question from how life began on Earth to how life arrived here from elsewhere. Abiogenesis explains life arising from nonliving chemistry on Earth, so it addresses a terrestrial origin rather than interstellar transfer. Endosymbiotic Theory describes how complex cells acquired organelles through long-term symbiotic relationships, not how life started or moved across space. Creationism attributes life to divine creation. Therefore, the description matches panspermia.