Question

What do scientists now think about the basis of life and why did they reject the theory of vitalism?

Answer 1

Vitalism is the doctrine, often advocated in the past but now rejected by mainstream science, that "living organisms are fundamentally different from non-living entities because they contain some non-physical element or are governed by different principles than are inanimate things".

Answer 2

\(\bf Vitalism\) or \(\bf Vital~Force\) theory was a belief around 1600 that all the organic matters contain a `Vital force of life` which can not be synthesised artificially from inorganic constituents. This was rejected as Friedrich Wohler was able to synthesise urea (an organic compound) from inorganic components in 1828.