Have you heard of the abiogenesis theory or spontaneous generation theory?According to this theory, widespread until the mid-nineteenth century, living organisms emerged from inanimate matter, that is, from lifeless matter. Although today it is clear that living beings only arise from another living being, it was not so simple to overthrow abiogenesis.
Several researchers have tried to prove this idea incorrect. Louis Pasteur (1822 - 1895), was one of these researchers and through his experiment it became clear that the origin of life, as it was known until now, did not represent reality.
→ Pasteur's experiment
Initially, Pasteur prepared a nutritious broth and placed this broth in different jars. He then took each vial, heated the necks and then bent them, making them look like swan necks. The curvature of the neck of the container allowed air to enter the area, but prevented the entry of airborne particles and microorganisms such as bacteria.
After making the bend, Pasteur boiled the nutritious broth. With this he hoped that all microorganisms in the material would die, that is, he left the broth sterile. According to the theory of abiogenesis, life could emerge from this broth, but that is not what happened.
Note that in sequence 1 the bottle remained intact, which made the presence of microorganisms impossible, while in sequence 2 the neck was broken
After a few days of the experiment, Pasteur noted that nothing had appeared in the broth and it remained sterile. To confirm his hypotheses, the researcher decides to break the bottleneck, leaving the juice exposed to the environment. As the days went by, several microorganisms appeared in the broth.
It was clear, therefore, that life did not arise from inanimate and dead matter, it only arose from a preexisting life. The moment Pasteur broke the bottleneck, he left the broth exposed to the action of micro-organisms present in the air which reproduced in the broth. With this experiment, abiogenesis was finally overturned and people began to accept the biogenesis, that is, the theory that all organisms must be born from another living being.
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