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Period: 611 BCE to 547 BCE
Anixamander - Beginning of Spontaneous Generation
Anaximander was the first man to suggest spontaneous generation in 611-547 BCE. He used this theory as a way of giving explanations of the natural human world. -
330 BCE
Aristotle - Support for Spontaneous Generation
Aristotle believed and supported the theory of spontaenous generation, because at the time the greeks thought that the four elements: air, fire, earth, and fire were the factors that created living organisms. He supported spontaneous generation because it was used for theoretical explanations. He didn't believe in a beginning, and claimed that this process happened all of the time. -
Harvey and Baptista Conflict
Jumping to 1651, Harvey, an English scientist believed that all life came from eggs, and rejected the theory of Spontaneous Generation. At the same time Johames Baptista, a flemish Physician and alchemist believed that spontaneous generation was valid theory. His recipe for creating mice was using a flask of wheat, and some old rags, and putting them inside a warm closet. -
Francisco Redi - Maggot and Flies Experiment
Francisco Redi, an Italian physicist tested an experiment to find a counter against SG. According to his book Experiments on the Generation of insects, he created an experiment with different types of meats inside three flasks. Adult flies hovered around all three flasks. However, maggots only sprung from the open, and the gauze flask. Which was what he used to counter the theory of spontaneous generation. However, this did not disprove the theory, as many people still believed that SG was valid -
Leeuwenhoek Invents Improved Microscope
Leeuwenhoek, a dutch scientist invented a more efficient microscope in the 17th century. At the time, microscopes were already invented (invented 1620), but the other microscopes at the time weren't as powerful and as good quality as Leeuwenhoek's microscope. -
Needham Boiling Experiment
Needham, and English biologist repeated a boiling experiment where he would see if life arose in a closed flask and an open flask. When he completed his experiment he found out that sealed or not, life still arose. This experiment helped support the SG theory. -
Spallanzani Disproves Needham with same Experiment
Spallanzani, an Italian biologist rebutted Needham's claims through his experiments in 1767. He argued that Needham did not boil the flasks long enough to kill everything inside. Therefore he redid the experiment using two bottles and a microscope, and proved that in a closed bottle no life arose, whereas in an open one life did. However, many disagreed with his findings, claiming that he had taken away air from the closed bottle, which was the source of life in SG. -
Pasteur and his Two S-curved Flasks experiment
Pasteur, a French chemist went on to disprove SG, by boiling broth inside both s-curved flasks for one entire year, both flasks did not produce anything, even when exposed to air, which was what many scientists argued for against Spallanzani's results. The s-curved flasks prevented airborne foreign life. When Pasteur eventually broke off the top on one flask, life formed in flask immediately. He proved that even in air life did not rise, and finally settled the long-debated theory. -
Cited Sources
Digital image. Http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/files/2015/02/leeuwenhoek.jpg. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2016. Digital image. Https://d2gne97vdumgn3.cloudfront.net/api/file/GlBtsNx8SQi8AweaCFdJ. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2016. Digital image. Http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/images/aristotle-17.jpg. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2016. Digital image. Http://www.biografiasyvidas.com/biografia/h/fotos/harvey.jpg. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2016. -
Cited Sources (cont)
Digital image. Https://students.ga.desire2learn.com/d2l/lor/viewer/viewFile.d2lfile/1798/12842/redi-doubter-needham.png. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2016. Digital image. Http://nptel.ac.in/courses/122103039/module2/lec3/images/3.png. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2016. "Spontaneous Generation." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2016. Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2016. -
Cited Sources (cont2)
"Spontaneous Generation and the Origin of Life." Pasteur, Fermentation, Contagion, and Proving a Negative. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2016. "Microscope." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2016. Digital image. Https://amoebamike.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/pasteurs-experiment.jpg. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2016.
