SYNTHESIS DOCUMENT 3 - Timeline Spontaneous Generation

Ancient Beliefs (Until the 17th Century)

1600

Before the 17th Century, there was a theory that life could arise from non-living matter. People believed this due to experiments like putting basil between two bricks in the sun, where they later saw a scorpion and assumed it was spontaneous generation. However, the scorpion likely entered the bricks, attracted by the basil.

Francesco Redi (1626-1697)

1626

Francesco Redi's experiment

1668

John Needham (1713-1781)

1713

John Needham's experiment

1745