CONTRAST: How were the designs of Pasteur's and Redi's experiments different? Pasteur experimented with rotting meat; Redi experimented with broth. Redi experimented with rotting meat; Pasteur experimented with broth. Pasteur was able to show spontaneous generation was false, but Redi was not. Redi was able to show spontaneous generation was false, but Pasteur was not.

Redi's famous experiment in the 17th century used jars of rotting meat to disprove spontaneous generation by covering some jars with gauze, which allowed air in but kept flies out. His results showed that maggots only appeared in the uncovered jars, suggesting that life came from existing life, rather than spontaneously from the meat itself. On the other hand, Pasteur conducted his experiments in the 19th century, focusing on broth in swan-necked flasks. His innovative design allowed air in while preventing microorganisms from contaminating the broth. When the flasks remained upright, the broth stayed clear, further debunking the idea of spontaneous generation and establishing that microbes come from other microbes, not from non-living matter.