Louis Pasteur's sterilised-flask experiments are historically important because they:
A{'text': 'Proved that life arose from non-living organic molecules in a primordial soup', 'label': 'A'}
B{'text': 'Demonstrated chemical evolution under reducing atmospheres of methane and ammonia', 'label': 'B'}
C{'text': 'Showed that panspermia delivered spores of life from outer space to early earth', 'label': 'C'}
D{'text': 'Disproved spontaneous generation by showing that life arises from pre-existing life', 'label': 'D'}
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. {'text': 'Disproved spontaneous generation by showing that life arises from pre-existing life', 'label': 'D'}
Pasteur showed that pre-sterilised flasks remained free of new life from killed yeast, while flasks open to air developed living organisms. This demonstrated that life arises only from pre-existing life and dismissed the theory of spontaneous generation. It did not address how the very first life form arose.
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