>[!abstract] >Abiogenesis is the natural process by which life arises from non-living matter, such as simple organic compounds. The prevailing scientific hypothesis is that the transition from non-living to living entities on Earth was not a single event, but a process of increasing complexity involving the formation of a habitable planet, the prebiotic synthesis of organic molecules, molecular self-replication, self-assembly, autocatalysis, and the emergence of cell membranes. The transition from non-life to life has never been observed experimentally, but many proposals have been made for different stages of the process (Wikipedia, 2025). >[!related] >- **North** (upstream): [[Origins of life research]] >- **West** (similar): [[Panspermia]] >- **East** (different): [[Creationism]] >- **South** (downstream): [[RNA world hypothesis]]