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Proposed that life could spontaneously arise from non-living matter like mud or decaying material.
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Demonstrated that maggots in meat come from flies, not spontaneous generation, by using jars with different coverings.
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Claimed spontaneous generation for microorganisms after boiling broth and sealing it, but his methods were flawed.
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Disproved Needham’s conclusions by boiling broth for longer and sealing flasks; no microorganisms grew unless the seal was broken.
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Used swan-neck flasks to prove that microorganisms come from airborne particles, not spontaneous generation.