Louis Pasteur’s Swan-Neck Flask Experiment | Origin of Life Explained
Louis Pasteur Swan-Neck Flask Experiment In the early days of biology, the idea that life could arise spontaneously from non-living matter was widely accepted. This theory, known as spontaneous generation , suggested that simple life forms like maggots or microbes could simply appear under the right conditions — no parents, no reproduction, just “poof” — life. But science thrives on skepticism, and through careful experimentation, a new understanding of life’s origin began to emerge. One of the most influential experiments in disproving spontaneous generation was conducted by the brilliant French scientist Louis Pasteur . His work not only discredited old beliefs but also laid the foundation for modern microbiology . The Problem with Spontaneous Generation Early scientists like Francesco Redi and Abbe Spallanzani had already started questioning spontaneous generation. Redi, in particular, showed that maggots appeared only when flies had access to meat, suggesting th...