Final answer:
John Needham is the scientist who provided evidence in favor of spontaneous generation through his broth experiments, supporting the existence of a "life force". His work was later refuted by other scientists like Spallanzani and Pasteur.
Step-by-step explanation:
The scientist who provided evidence in favor of the concept of spontaneous generation was John Needham. He conducted experiments in which he briefly boiled broth and then sealed it in containers, which later showed microbial growth. Needham suggested that this was evidence of a "life force" causing spontaneous generation. However, his conclusions were later challenged by other scientists like Lazzaro Spallanzani and Louis Pasteur, who provided experiments that refuted the idea of spontaneous generation, showing that life comes from existing life forms and not from nonliving matter.
The correct answer to the multiple-choice question is C) Needham. This aligns with the experiment mentioned, where Needham argued for spontaneous generation by asserting that life originates from a "life force" that was not accounted for in experiments that sought to disprove the theory.