Serendipity of Science: Saving Lives - for iPod/iPhone

When Alexander Fleming came back from holiday he noticed that mould contamination on an experimental plate had killed a pathogen. Fleming wondered 'Why?' Careful observation, rigorous scientific thinking and painstaking experimental work led to the discovery of pencillin.

Transcript -- When Alexander Fleming came back from holiday he noticed that mould contamination on an experimental plate had killed a pathogen. Fleming wondered 'Why?' Careful observation, rigorous scientific thinking and painstaking experimental work led to the discovery of pencillin.

When a glass flask was knocked to the floor in Eduard Benedictus' laboratory he was surprised to discover that the glass had shattered but somehow the flask stayed together. It was all the result of his assistant failing to clean away the remains of the previous experiment. Reading about a rash of car accidents gave him the inspiration to turn this accident into a useful discovery – safety glass.

Transcript -- When a glass flask was knocked to the floor in Eduard Benedictus' laboratory he was surprised to discover that the glass had shattered but somehow the flask stayed together. It was all the result of his assistant failing to clean away the remains of the previous experiment. Reading about a rash of car accidents gave him the inspiration to turn this accident into a useful discovery – safety glass.

In the 1950s, medical researcher Wilson Greatbach was building an oscillator to record heart sounds when he pulle dthe wrong resistor out of a box. When he assembled his device, it began to giv off a rhythmic electrical pulse. It was then realised his invention could be used as a pacemaker.

Transcript -- In the 1950s, medical researcher Wilson Greatbach was building an oscillator to record heart sounds when he pulle dthe wrong resistor out of a box. When he assembled his device, it began to giv off a rhythmic electrical pulse. It was then realised his invention could be used as a pacemaker.