Question

Your mother brought some meat from the market. One day, she placed the meat in a pan but forgot to place it in the freezer. After some time, maggots were seen crawling from the meat. What can you say about these outcomes?

1) The meat was spoiled and attracted maggots due to lack of refrigeration.
2) The meat was contaminated with maggots before it was brought home.
3) The maggots were already present in the meat when it was purchased.
4) The maggots appeared due to some other reason.

Answer 1

Maggots found on meat left out of the freezer probably came from fly eggs laid after the meat came in contact with flies. This outcome supports Francesco Redi's findings that maggots are the offspring of flies, not products of spontaneous generation.

Step-by-step explanation:

The appearance of maggots on meat that was left out of the freezer can be best explained by the findings of the Italian physician Francesco Redi. Redi conducted experiments that demonstrated maggots on meat are not a result of spontaneous generation, but rather the offspring of flies that have had direct contact with the meat. In this case, it is likely that the meat was exposed to flies while it was not refrigerated, which would have allowed flies to lay eggs on the meat, leading to the presence of maggots.

Key Points from Redi's Experiment

• Maggots developed on the uncovered meat but not in sealed or gauze-covered containers.
• This indicated that maggots were not spontaneously generated but were the offspring of flies.

Based on this historical evidence, it would be reasonable to conclude that the maggots came from fly eggs laid on the meat after it was brought home and left out of the freezer. The meat was likely not spoiled when purchased, but the lack of refrigeration allowed for the flies to contaminate it.