Expository Essay on Spontaneous Generation

Spontaneous generation is the scientific ideology of the creation of life out a situation life is inexistent or a sterile environment. Francisco Reid an Italian scientist working in close hand with Galileo Galilei in 1668 sought out to disapprove the theory of spontaneous generation. The experiment proved that maggots found in meat actually came out of flies. Within that intent of time he released his experiments results, rebuttals were offered by another scientist by the name John Needham. John set out to disapprove Reids results, he went ahead to boil broth in a flask and closed the lid of the flats to create a sterile environment not exposed to bacteria, he found out that the broth rot and bacteria like life forms were seen. His results were disapproved because he did not boil the broth long enough to ensure that all the bacteria. Below is a complete description of Reids experiment.

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Reids Experiment

Francisco Reid set out to disapprove the theory of spontaneous generation. There were flies always surrounding the meat at a butcher's shop, it is reasonable to wonder where the flies came from, so Reid went out to discover why. The main question was, does rotting meat produce flies or does it turn to flies.

Hypothesis

Reids hypothesis was that rotten meat does not produce flies. It is only flies that can make more flies.

Prediction

The prediction is that rotten meat cannot make flies. Rotting meat in a sealed environment with no access to flies cannot produce flies or maggots.

Testing

Reid used wide mouth jars with meat inside them; the jars had different levels of exposure to the outside environment.

Control group- this group was those that were not covered at all; they were exposed to flies and bacteria within the butcher's shop.

Experimental Group: This group consisted of a fully sealed jar with 100% no exposure to the outside environment, and the other was a jar but just covered with a gauze.

Experiment Results

The presence of flies or maggots were recorded as results data for all the groups.

There were no flies in the jars that were fully sealed with no exposure to bacteria.

The jars covered with a gauze had maggots on the base of the gauze.

The jars that were fully opened had flies and maggots inside of them.

Conclusion

It is only flies that can make more flies. The presence of maggots on the gauze indicates that the eggs were laid by the adult flies on the gauze and started hatching after dropping on the meat. The sealed jars did not have any flies; this meant that maggots only develop where flies are present.

Francisco Reid is said to be the first person to use a control group. In his experiment, the control group was the jars that were set out without the lid allowing exposure to everything within the butcher's shop. The control group is always used to prove the hypothesis and the prediction. The control group allows one to get results from a different approach other than the control hence the obvious is not repeated.

Predictions are important in scientific experiments in that they help one to use theory and work with it towards proving it. Predictions could either end up to be true or false, but one needs it in order to quest for the actual results.

Replication is highly important in scientific experiments in that they help to show repeatability of the results found. Conducting an experiment without replication would mean getting a biased result. A highly repeated output is in arguably the answer.

A belief is having faith in an abstract idea without having proof. The Scientific conclusion is a statement that has proof. Basically, a scientific conclusion based on deductible and reductionist principles while belief is abstract and one cannot prove their statement.

Part 2

Years after the death of Reid, many people still believed in the principles of spontaneous generation. It is imperative to acknowledge that people do not believe in scientific results despite having been shown the proof. In the words of Nobel Prize winner Max Planck, A new scientific fact does not success by convincing its adversaries and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it. These words indicate that scenic principle is not just generally accepted by your opponents by showing it to them that whatever they believed is wrong. To the dismay of many scientists on their theories, the fact is that over the years people would come to see sense in their theories. It takes time for the truth to seek down on people. I would agree very much with Max Planck as, despite Reids simple explanation of the inexistence of spontaneous generation, people were not convinced so his discovery. In many case scenarios, scientific ideologies are not taken up by people fast enough; the truth dawns on humanity after several generations.

The fact is that what is truthful will remain to be the truth. At the end of it all, the truth always pans out. The Scientific truth remains truthful to its purity. The truth is always potent, tried and tested over and over again. The human mind can be skeptical, but over time people start to see reason, and the truth dawns on them. The truth will always win despite the opposition.

The progress of science is based on the continuous fact findings that seeks for the truth, this entails need to find truth moves from one generation to the next. The scientific theories of the 17th century are being put to use in the 21st century. Science is backed up by a large community of individuals who are obsessed with finding the truth. Science is also an everyday phenomenon, the need to understand physical phenomenon pushes people through to scientific studies. It is important to understand that science progresses as humanity also grows wiser in thought and action. Constant experimentation also allows for the growth of scenic and scientific principle.

Religious groupings in most cases come about to oppose science, in most cases, they place their belief in absolute faith. A faith to the existence of a supreme being, the Architect of it all. These groupings and their beliefs usually pull back the progress of science. Many individuals out here prefer to remain adamant on their beliefs; it has its advantages because it provides constancy and stability in their lives. Despite being a much laid back way of living, keeping an open mind has its merits. When newer information is made available, only the curious individuals will get to see the truth, keeping an open mind allows one to learn and improve.