Question

Redi designed an experiment to investigate the origin of life, as shown here. The presence of maggots on the raw meat wen left uncovered is not replicated when the meat is covered by a gauze layer. The experimental design and results here disproved which theory of the origin of life? A) directed panspermia B) spontaneous generation C) primordial soup origin D) hydrothermal vent origin

Answer 1

Francesco Redi's experiment disproved the theory of spontaneous generation by showing that maggots on meat required fly access.

Step-by-step explanation:

Francesco Redi's experiment in the 17th century was a landmark study that provided empirical evidence against the theory of spontaneous generation, which proposed that living organisms could arise from nonliving matter. In his experiment, Redi used jars with raw meat; some were left open, some were covered with gauze, and others were sealed. Maggots only developed in the open jars, where flies had access to lay eggs on the meat, suggesting that maggots were the offspring of flies and did not spontaneously generate. Redi's findings discredited the spontaneous generation theory for larger organisms, though the debate continued for microscopic life until later refuted by Louis Pasteur.