Francesco Redi (1626–1697) was an Italian physician, naturalist, and poet.

He's known as the "founder of

experimental biology" and the "father of modern parasitology." Redi disproved spontaneous generation by
showing that maggots come from fly eggs.

Francesco Redi, born on February 18, 1626, in Arezzo to Gregorio Redi and Cecilia de Ghinci, came from a
medical family. He earned his medical and philosophical doctorates from the University of Pisa at age 21. Redi
moved frequently, residing in various Italian cities before settling in Florence in 1648. In Florence, he served as
a prominent physician at the Medici Court under Grand Duke Ferdinando II de' Medici and later Cosimo III. His
major academic contributions occurred in Florence, earning him membership in the Accademia dei Lincei and
the Accademia del Cimento from 1657 to 1667. Francesco Redi passed away in Pisa on March 1, 1697, and
was buried in Arezzo.

Francesco Redi, who earned both medical and philosophical doctoral degrees from the University of Pisa at
age 21, worked in various Italian cities. As a rationalist, he challenged myths, notably spontaneous generation.
His renowned work, "Esperienze intorno alla generazione degl'insetti" (Experiments on the Generation of
Insects), published in 1668, featured experiments discrediting ideas like vipers breaking glasses or drinking
wine. Redi also correctly identified the source of snake venom and described approximately 180 parasites,
distinguishing earthworms from helminths. He pioneered experimental controls, that is foundational in modern
biology. I picked Francesco Redi because I have read about him before and became inspired to discover all
kinds of things, like testing myths. He was one of the reasons I want to pursue science.