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‘Failed’ experiment produces a bacterial Trojan horse by Katie Weber. Interestingly the usefulness of Penicillin, the most popular bacteria fighting agent, was discovered by accident (and then a smart scientist learning from the accident and applying that knowledge to creating an incredibly useful medication).
The discovery also led to the startup of a promising new biotechnology firm that has already brought Wisconsin a dozen new, high-paying, highly skilled jobs.
This is yet another example of the power of scientists and engineers to boost the economy and society at large.
Related: Drug Resistant Bacteria More Common - Leverage Universities to Transform State Economy - blog posts on bacteria and anti-biotics - Entirely New Antibiotic Developed - Economic Benefits and Science Higher Education - Science Education and Jobs - Universities Focus on Economic Benefits
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October 4th, 2006 at 4:34 am
That is one huge advantage with these new forms of scholarship - we can publish not only what worked but also everthing that didn’t, leading to the successful experiment. (e.g. http://usefulchem.wikispaces.com/dopal )
November 16th, 2006 at 7:50 pm
“One day the chip fell off the paper backing that it was being tested on and the laser just hit the paper instead. Whereas we would have expected to have got no signal, we actually got a signal that had all of the right characteristics for a security device. That was enormously surprising,”…