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Hans and Zacharias Janssen invented the first compound microscope.
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Robert Hooke was the first to use the word "cell" when he looked at a sliver of a cork through a microscope.
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Francesco Redi did an experiment to test if rotting meat turned into flies. He found out that it did not, and that only flies could make more flies not rotting meat. This was important because it disproved the theory of spontanous generation.
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He was the first to see and describe bacteria.
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He showed that soup exposed to the air contained many micro organisms. He claimed there was a "life force" present in all in organic materials.
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He found that a sealed container prevented micro organisms from getting in the soup. He also discovered that the micro organisms that do get into the soup cause it to spoil.
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Was the first to discover the cell nucleus.
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He created what is called "cellular theory" which states that all things are made up of one or more cells.
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Schwann proposed that all organisms are composed of cells. Together with Matthias Schleiden he formulated the cell theory of life. Schwann also discovered the cells, now known as Schwann cells, that form a sheath surrounding nerve axons and conducted experiments that helped disprove the theory of spontaneous generation.
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Rudolf Virchow published his now-famous aphorism omnis cellula e cellula ("every cell stems from another cell"). He also stated that all diseases involve changes in normal cells.
