Final answer:
Francesco Redi conducted an experiment to disprove the theory of spontaneous generation by showing that maggots developed on meat only when it was exposed to flies, and not in sealed or gauze-covered containers.
Step-by-step explanation:
Francesco Redi's experiment was a series of tests conducted in the 17th century to challenge the prevailing theory of spontaneous generation.
His objective was to demonstrate that maggots on decaying meat came from fly eggs, rather than being spontaneously generated. Redi set out meat in three different conditions: open to the air, covered with gauze which allowed air but not flies, and sealed from air and flies.
Maggots only developed on the meat in the open container, where flies could lay eggs. His findings showed that life (maggots) came from preexisting life (flies) rather than arising spontaneously.