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Pasteur's Experiments on Spontaneous Generation quiz #1 Flashcards

Pasteur's Experiments on Spontaneous Generation quiz #1
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  • What was a constant in Pasteur's experiment on spontaneous generation?
    A constant in Pasteur's experiment was the use of nutrient broth in the swan neck flask, which was treated the same way in all experimental setups except for the exposure to trapped microbes.
  • How were Redi’s and Pasteur’s experiments similar in disproving spontaneous generation?
    Both Redi’s and Pasteur’s experiments used controlled conditions to show that life (such as microbes or maggots) did not spontaneously arise, but only appeared when exposed to preexisting life forms from the environment.
  • Pasteurization was first developed to kill __________ in wine.
    microbes
  • Describe Pasteur's meat broth experiment and how it was used to disprove spontaneous generation.
    Pasteur filled swan neck flasks with meat broth, boiled them to sterilize, and left them exposed to air. The curved neck trapped microbes, so the broth remained sterile unless the flask was tilted, mixing trapped microbes with the broth and causing growth. This showed microbes came from the air, not spontaneous generation.
  • What was the control in Pasteur's experiment on spontaneous generation?
    The control was the upright swan neck flask with sterilized broth, which remained free of microbial growth as long as it was not exposed to trapped microbes.
  • How were Redi's and Pasteur's experiments similar in their approach to testing spontaneous generation?
    Both experiments used controlled setups to prevent contamination and demonstrated that new life forms only appeared when exposed to existing organisms, not spontaneously.
  • Pasteur used swan-neck flasks in his experiments to prove that:
    Microbes do not spontaneously generate but come from preexisting microbes in the air.
  • What role did the curved neck of Pasteur's flask play in his experiment?
    The curved neck trapped dust and microbes from the air, preventing them from reaching the broth while still allowing air to enter the flask.
  • Why did Pasteur boil the broth in his swan neck flask experiment?
    Pasteur boiled the broth to sterilize it, killing any existing microbes and ensuring that any future microbial growth would come from contamination, not spontaneous generation.
  • What observation did Pasteur make when the swan neck flask was tilted?
    When the flask was tilted, the trapped microbes mixed with the sterile broth, resulting in microbial growth and demonstrating that microbes originate from preexisting life.