History of Microbiology Practice Exam

This question tests the idea of spontaneous generation versus biogenesis. In the 17th century, many people believed that life could arise from nonliving matter, such as decaying meat. Francesco Redi designed an experiment to test that claim by using meat in several jars: some left open, some sealed to keep out flies, and some covered with a mesh that allowed air but blocked insects. Over time, maggots appeared only in the jars where flies could access the meat, while the sealed and mesh-covered jars produced no maggots. This shows that life (the maggots) comes from preexisting life (flies laying eggs), not spontaneously from rotting meat. Redi’s work challenged the idea of spontaneous generation and supported the idea of biogenesis, a concept later reinforced by Pasteur’s demonstrations with microbes and swan-neck flasks. The other options relate to different microbiology advances—how we link microbes to disease or how infection is prevented—rather than addressing spontaneous generation.