Final answer:
Francesco Redi's experiment disproved the theory of spontaneous generation by proving that maggots on meat are the offspring of flies, not spontaneously generated. This was further reinforced by experiments from Lazzaro Spallanzani and Louis Pasteur, culminating in the acceptance of biogenesis.
Step-by-step explanation:
Francesco Redi's experiment was a pivotal moment in the scientific refutation of spontaneous generation. In his iconic 1668 study, he devised a simple but effective experimental setup involving open containers, cork-sealed containers, and gauze-covered containers all containing meat. Redi observed that maggots only developed on the meat in the open container, where flies could land and lay eggs, while no maggots appeared on meat in the containers sealed with corks or covered with gauze that prevented fly contact. This experimental result provided the first substantial evidence that maggots were not products of spontaneous generation but the offspring of flies, leading to a broader questioning of the theory that life could arise from nonliving matter.
Furthermore, subsequent experiments by other scientists such as Lazzaro Spallanzani and Louis Pasteur built upon Redi's work, ultimately leading to the disproof of spontaneous generation and the acceptance of the principle that "life only comes from life." Pasteur's refinement of these ideas through additional experimentation earned him significant acclaim, including the Alhumbert Prize from the Paris Academy of Sciences.