Louis Pasteur conducted an experiment to answer the question of whether or not living things can arise spontaneously from nonliving materials. In this experiment, he used two flasks of sterile broth. What were the results of this experiment?
A) In the flask with the curved neck, no growth occurred. However, growth did occur in the flask that allowed outside air to enter, demonstrating that living things came from outside the sterile broth.
B) No growth occurred in either flask, demonstrating that sterile broth could not promote growth.
C) Both flasks showed growth, demonstrating that spontaneous generation does occur.
D) While both flasks showed growth, the flask with the curved neck showed a higher growth, demonstrating that spontaneous generation does not require air.
E) No growth occurred in either flask, demonstrating that sterilizing the broth removed its nutrients so growth could not occur regardless of whether or not life was present.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Pasteur's experiment showed that living things came from outside the sterile broth and did not arise spontaneously from nonliving materials. The flask with the curved neck did not allow outside air (and any potential microorganisms) to enter, therefore no growth occurred. However, growth did occur in the other flask that allowed outside air to enter, demonstrating that living things came from outside the sterile broth.

Louis Pasteur Conducted an Experiment to Answer the Question of Whether