Final answer:
Francesco Redi conducted experiments with raw meat and flies to disprove the theory of spontaneous generation, showing that maggots only develop from eggs laid by flies on meat.
Step-by-step explanation:
The scientist who experimented with raw meat, maggots, and flies in an attempt to disprove the theory of spontaneous generation was Francesco Redi. Redi's experimentation in the 17th century was pivotal, showing that flies had to have access to meat for maggots to develop, thereby challenging the long-held belief that life could arise from nonliving matter spontaneously. He conducted an experiment using jars with meat, some left open, some covered with gauze, and others tightly sealed, concluding that maggots only appeared in the uncovered jars, which flies could access.
Francesco Redi, an Italian physician, experimented with raw meat, maggots, and flies to disprove the theory of spontaneous generation. He showed that maggots only appeared on meat when flies were allowed to lay eggs in it, demonstrating that maggots were the offspring of flies, not products of spontaneous generation.