Why can't scientists be certain about how life began on earth?

Answer 1

To put it simply, no one was around then. It was such a long time ago that they have to make educated guesses based on the evidence they can find from the beginning of the planet. Most of this is microscopic since it is strongly believed among scientists that life started small, with single-celled organisms, and evolved into more complex beings over time.

Answer 2

Hi,
Scientists have only two options to chose from. The first choice would be that it evolved, but that presents a very tough problem. That problem stems from the fact that only life produces life. It is a known scientific fact that life doesn't come from none living things, so the whole "life" starting question can only be guessed at. The fact is, life is here. The real question is how did it get here? The second choice is that someone, or some thing put it here. Some claim that someone to be God. While others claim that life was seeded here by alien life forms. Either way someone had to put it here. It didn't just happen, and most scientist with half a brain will admit to that!

Answer 3

They do not have enough evidence.
Why can't scientists be certain about how life began?
Not enough evidence.
The best evidence would be if someone created life and could explain it. When that happens you give a possible answer for my question and maybe for yours. However, it could have been planted here by aliens or come on the back of an asteroid etc.

Answer 4

They weren't there when it happened, and very direct evidence showing exactly how it began is of a nature that wouldn't last 750 million years. They have to hypothesize methods of how it could have begun, then run experiments to test that. For example, they have shown how amino acids, the building blocks of proteins (which are the building blocks of life) could form from the water and atmospheric gases present at that time, in the presence of lightning. (Life ingredients forming out of nonlife.)
If the experiments back up the hypotheses, then they can use those hypotheses as theories for the formation of life.
But never having BEEN there, they can't be CERTAIN.

Answer 5

Engineer01 has the best answer - let me just lay it out simply:
Even if someone manages to actually generate a living cell from non-living materials, that will only tell us how life _could have_ begun. We will not know how it _did_ begin unless and until someone can actually travel back in time to see it happen (and document it). In other words, we will almost certainly never know. Certainty is a rare thing in science - the best we generally get is a strong probability. Even us scientists with only half a brain know that much.. If you want certainty, stick with faith.

Answer 6

To help us understand that science has practical limits, it is useful to divide science into two different areas: operational science and historical (origins) science. Operational science deals with testing and verifying ideas in the present and leads to the production of useful products like computers, cars, and satellites. Historical (origins) science involves interpreting evidence from the past and includes the models of evolution and special creation. Recognizing that everyone has presuppositions that shape the way they interpret the evidence is an important step in realizing that historical science is not equal to operational science. Because no one was there to witness the past (except God), we must interpret it based on a set of starting assumptions. Creationists and evolutionists have the same evidence; they just interpret it within a different framework. Evolution denies the role of God in the universe, and creation accepts His eyewitness account—the Bible—as the foundation for arriving at a correct understanding of the universe.

So we can, infact be certain how life began - check Genesis.

Answer 7

Scientists can't be certain where gravity come from, why sky become charged(lightning), they're not sure why most of stuff in universe is invisible(dark matter)...etc.

The thing is there are just million things scientists don't know about. But they're trying to understand them. It's tedious, arduous process that will take forever.

Answer 8

We can't be certain because we were not around to make a Video of how the 1st lifeform began. We can only hypothesize based upon evidence & are not at all sure we've found all the existing evidence that was left behind... or even if any evidence was left behind.

Answer 9

Because there weren't any there when it happened!
Seriously though, to prove the theories, a scientific experiment involving the creation of organic chemicals from inorganic and progressing until you get a complex structure that will replicate itself, feed, grow, multiply and survive, you have not proven it possible!
In nature, that would have had to happen without the guidance of intelligence. Further evidence of how that could be possible would also have to be provided.
See the problem?

Answer 10

Quite simply because life began Millions of years before man had appeared, and even longer before man questioned how life began.

Any evidence of the first signs of life have been destroyed by the success of later life forms.