Spontaneous generation
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Spontaneous generation refers to the concept that animal forms are created by the decay of organic matter [1] [2]. Common theories included:
- Moldy grain produces mice
- Rotten meat produces maggots
- Rotting garbage produces rats
Experiments in the 1600s through the 1800s discredited this idea. These experiments took the form of allowing meat to rot in sealed and semi-sealed containers (Francesco Redi, 1668), which demonstrated that maggots only formed in meat that flies laid eggs in; and by storing sterilized soup in bottles that prevented dust and bacteria from entering (Louis Pasteur, 1860).