Refer to the figure below illustrating Louis Pasteur's experiment on spontaneous generation. The experiment supports which hypothesis?
A) Amino acids are the building blocks of life.
B) Some forms of life can arise by spontaneous generation.
C) Oxygen is needed for life.
D) Life comes from decaying matter.
E) Life comes from preexisting life.

Question

Refer to the figure below illustrating Louis Pasteur's experiment on spontaneous generation.  The experiment supports which hypothesis?
A) Amino acids are the building blocks of life. 
B) Some forms of life can arise by spontaneous generation. 
C) Oxygen is needed for life. 
D) Life comes from decaying matter. 
E) Life comes from preexisting life.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Louis Pasteur's experiment on spontaneous generation involved placing nutrient broth in flasks with long, curved necks that prevented dust and organisms from entering the flask but allowed air to flow in and out. The control flasks with straight necks showed growth of microorganisms, while the experimental flasks with curved necks showed no growth, indicating that the microorganisms did not arise by spontaneous generation but rather from preexisting life that had entered through the air. Therefore, the experiment supports the hypothesis that life comes from preexisting life (option E).

Refer to the Figure Below Illustrating Louis Pasteur's Experiment on Spontaneous