Do you know what penicillin is? Chances are that someone in your family or even your pet has taken this drug. Penicillin is an antibiotic that’s used to treat a variety of bacterial infections, from strep throat and skin and ear infections, to more serious illnesses like pneumonia and sepsis; its use has saved millions of lives worldwide. What would you say if I told you that the discovery of this life-saving drug was completely accidental? Waaaaatttt!!! Yep that’s right Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928 when he wasn’t even looking for it. In this episode, we explore the accidental discovery of penicillin and the decade-long struggle to purify it and develop it into a drug that has had a significant public health impact. This story highlights the power of curiosity in scientific discoveries. Are you curious?

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Additional Resources:
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1945/fleming/facts/

https://www.acs.org/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/flemingpenicillin.html

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Music from Pixabay: Future Artificial Intelligence Technology 130 by TimMoor
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