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Select all the correct answers.
Belore the discovery of cells, people believed in the theory of spontaneous generation. According to this theory, living things can come from nonliving
things. On the basis of this theory, people believed that maggots that formed on cheese spontaneously arose from the cheese. Which two
statements disprove this theory of spontaneous generation?
All matter is made of cells.
Cells are generally microscopic and impossible to detect with the naked eye.
Living cells can only come from previously existing matter.
Belore the discovery of cells, people believed in the theory of spontaneous generation. According to this theory, living things can come from nonliving
things. On the basis of this theory, people believed that maggots that formed on cheese spontaneously arose from the cheese. Which two
statements disprove this theory of spontaneous generation?
All matter is made of cells.
Cells are generally microscopic and impossible to detect with the naked eye.
Living cells can only come from previously existing matter.
Ask by Whittaker Cole. in the United States
Dec 01,2024
Upstudy AI Solution
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Answer
The two statements that disprove spontaneous generation are: 1. All matter is made of cells. 2. Living cells can only come from previously existing matter.
Solution
The two statements that disprove the theory of spontaneous generation are:
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All matter is made of cells. - This statement supports the idea that living organisms are composed of cells, which must come from existing cells rather than arising spontaneously from nonliving matter.
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Living cells can only come from previously existing matter. - This directly contradicts the idea of spontaneous generation by asserting that living cells cannot arise from nonliving substances but must originate from other living cells.
The statement “Cells are generally microscopic and impossible to detect with the naked eye” does not directly disprove spontaneous generation; it simply describes a characteristic of cells.
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The concept that all living things are composed of cells serves as a pivotal argument against spontaneous generation. With advancements in microscopy, scientists recognized that everything biological, from the tiniest bacteria to the largest mammals, stems from these building blocks of life. Therefore, the idea that complex organisms could arise from nonliving matter was debunked.
Additionally, the assertion that living cells can only come from pre-existing matter directly contradicts the spontaneous generation theory. This principle, encapsulated in the theory of biogenesis, highlights that life begets life. Without an existing living organism, there would be no new life forms. The process of reproduction in living entities firmly establishes this connection, dispelling the notion that life could emerge from inanimate substances.
