Is that the shit where they thought they could spontaneously create life e.g. by putting straw in a cellar and miraculously rats will spring from nothing? Or was that the lumeniferous ether or something? My biology class talked about some weird shit in historical theories.

[–] Abracadaniel@hexbear.net 8 points 1 month ago

you're thinking of spontaneous generation.

phlogiston was a theorized substance related to combustion and luminiferous aether was a theorized medium for the propagation of light waves.

[–] SteamedHamberder@hexbear.net 6 points 1 month ago

Phlogiston was a substance of negative oxidation. Combustibles lost their phlogiston as they burned, it was assumed, because the ash was much lighter than the original wood for instance. But this was all because the CO2 just dissipated. When measurements improved, it could be demonstrated that iron oxide weighed more than the original iron that rusted which disproved the phlogiston theory.