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Redi’s Experiment:
Redi challenged the idea of spontaneous generation by showing that maggots on decaying meat came from eggs laid by flies, not from the meat itself. He used sealed jars and gauze-covered jars to show that flies were needed to produce maggots. -
Spallanzani’s Experiment
Spallanzani boiled nutrient broth to sterilize it and sealed the containers, showing that no microbes grew unless the seal was broken. This suggested that microorganisms in the air were responsible for contamination, not spontaneous generation. -
Jenner's vaccine
While not directly targeting spontaneous generation, Jenner’s work in inoculating people with cowpox to prevent smallpox was part of the broader scientific movement toward understanding the biological origins of disease and dispelling the notion of spontaneous generation in medicine. -
Pasteur’s Swan-neck Experiment
Pasteur refined Spallanzani’s experiment by using flasks with curved necks (swan-neck design), which allowed air to enter but trapped dust and microorganisms. The broth in these flasks remained sterile unless the neck was broken, proving that life does not spontaneously arise but is carried by airborne particles. -
Tyndall’s Discoveries
Tyndall demonstrated that the air contains heat-resistant spores that could survive boiling, leading to microbial growth if not properly sterilized. He showed that sterilization needed to account for these resistant forms, further supporting the need for a controlled environment to prevent microbial contamination.