Panspermia was the concept that life originated from microorganisms or biochemical compounds present in space that were able to begin the formation of life upon reaching a suitable environment, such as a planet.
Upon reviewing the spore drive used aboard the USS Discovery, and the current problems had with its use, Michael Burnham inquired to Paul Stamets if their problem was based in biology or physics. Stamets rhetorically asked Burnham if she was "really so naive as to see them as different?" Before he explained that "At the quantum level, there is no difference between biology and physics. No difference at all." When referring to the mycelium spores that were used in the drive, he explained that "they are the progenitors of panspermia. They are the building blocks of energy across the universe. Physics and biology? No. Physics as biology." (DIS: "Context Is for Kings")
The Progenitors used the same mysterious technology that had created them to seed humanoid life across the galaxy. (TNG: "The Chase"; DIS: "Life, Itself")