Spontaneous generation is the myth that organisms could originate without the need to have descent from similar organisms (i.e., created spontaneously from the dust). This belief stated that organisms could arise from nonliving material. Louis Pasteur conducted experiments in order to show that this belief was false and thus confirm the theory of biogenesis, which states living organisms can be only generated by the reproduction of similar living organisms. Pasteur showed that microorganisms could not be developed in isolated sterilized tubes, but they could be developed in open tubes, thereby showing that reproduction (biogenesis) is the only source of living organisms.
