Accidental scientific discoveries

Throughout history, accidental scientific discoveries have played a large role in the advancement of human knowledge. The unintended consequences of an experiment or an unexpected observation has often led to a breakthrough discovery different from the one expected. Sir Horace Walpole in 1754 first used the term “serendipity” to describe a positive accidental discovery. It was based on a tale he had read about three princes from Sri Lanka, which was once known by the name “Serendip,” who made many important but unplanned discoveries while on a journey. This concept of serendipity can be applied to scientific discoveries that happen by chance and lead to greater discoveries or inventions that solve problems.

Background

Many important scientific discoveries are accidental or considered serendipitous because scientists alter the conditions used in previous experiments, which leads to a new discovery. Other discoveries have been made when scientists search for something but discover something else that is new and unknown.

Errors can also be responsible for serendipity in science. A mistake caused by miscalculation, mishap, or an unavoidable change in conditions can create an outcome vastly different from the one expected. Although scientists try their best to limit mistakes or interference from external factors, errors still occur during experimentation. While an error may cause the experiment to fail completely, it may also unlock a previously unknown phenomenon that creates an even better than expected outcome. Scientists must then think critically to determine if what they have discovered is important to humankind.

Overview

Science, by nature, requires close questioning, observation, testing, and critical thinking. Sir Frances Bacon is considered the father of the modern scientific method. In the sixteenth century, he outlined how the process of the scientific method to provide a rational way to solve a question about the occurrence of natural phenomenon to better understand the world around us. He stipulated that a methodical process be used based on informed prediction and experimentation.

The scientific method requires making an acute observation and creating a problem statement based on that observation. With this problem, a hypothesis, or a testable prediction can be made. The hypothesis is the expected outcome or what logically should occur based on current knowledge, past outcomes, and other inferences made by the scientist. Then, the scientist tests the hypothesis to achieve results and draw conclusions from these results. It is during this hypothesis testing phase, which is key to the methodical process that Bacon outlined, that an unexpected result may occur. On occasion, the result that is contrary to the hypothesis is groundbreaking, and critical thinking on the part of the scientist can recognize the importance of the unexpected results.

Antibiotics

The accidental discovery of the first antibiotic, penicillin, is considered one of the greatest medical achievements of the twentieth century. Prior to this discovery, no reliable medications were available to cure bacterial infection. Diseases such as pneumonia and rheumatic fever could be life-threatening, and even a simple cut or scrape could lead to a serious infection.

Scottish microbiologist Alexander Fleming unwittingly discovered penicillin through his careless lab practices. After returning from a two-week vacation in 1928, he was looking over some neglected petri dishes that contained samples of the infectious bacteria Staphylococcus. In one dish, some mold had started to grow. He was surprised that bacteria colonies were absent from the area around the mold. It turned out that the type of mold that had grown in his petri dish, Penicillium notatum, inhibited bacterial growth. Although Fleming and his laboratory assistants understood that this was an important discovery, they had difficulty isolating and stabilized the culture. However, further study by researchers at the University of Oxford identified the type of mold and worked to develop it into a medicine that revolutionized the treatment of infection with antibiotic drugs.

X-rays

In 1895, a Bavarian physics professor named Wilhelm Roentgen was experimenting with cathode ray tubes in a vacuum and accidentally discovered X-rays. From this accidental discovery, use of X-ray technology has gone on to become a standard of care in medical diagnosis and treatment of diseases, such as cancer.

When Roentgen used a high voltage current in a vacuum tube, he observed that the electrodes emitted light. He covered the tube with black paper to test the brightness of the light, and to his surprise a screen that was coated with barium platinocyanide crystals that he had sitting near his work area started to glow. Further experimentation showed that the rays being emitted could pass through solid objects and leave a shadow of what was inside the object. He noted these rays could pass through skin and clearly show the structure of bones. He believed that a new type of radiation was responsible for this ability, so Roentgen called the radiation rays “X-rays,” with X signifying something unknown.

Roentgen was awarded the first Nobel Prize in physics in 1901 for his discovery. Although he took the first X-ray of his wife’s hand, he did not develop the technology into a widely used medical tool. Brothers Dr. Edwin and Dr. Gilman Frost first used the cathode ray tube X-rays as a diagnostic tool to show a broken wrist in 1896. That same year, Dr. Emil Grubbe first used X-ray radiation to treat cancer. American inventor Thomas Edison contributed to X-ray research with the development of the fluoroscope, and American physicist William Coolidge invented a vacuum tube that allowed for controlled continuous stable X-ray emissions.

Insulin

Before the discovery of insulin, people with diabetes did not live long. Doctors would simply put them on a low carbohydrate diet and hope for the best. Two German researchers, Oskar Minkowski and Joseph von Mering are credited with part of the discovery. In 1889, while performing medical experiments on dogs, they discovered that if the pancreas gland was removed, the dogs soon died. The researchers concluded that important substances were produced in the pancreas.

Sir Edward Albert Sharpey-Shafer, an English medical inventor and physiologist (a doctor who studies the normal functions of living organisms) suggested in 1910 that people with diabetes were only missing one important substance from the pancreas. He called it insulin.

In 1921, Frederick Banting, a surgeon, and his assistant Charles Best figured out how to remove insulin from a dog’s pancreas. However, other researchers were skeptical, claiming that the insulin looked like thick brown muck. Using the insulin, Banting and Best were able to treat a dog with severe diabetes. The dog lived seventy days, dying only after they ran out of insulin. Medical professionals were impressed and began developing a pure form of insulin, which they took from the pancreas of a cow.

A year later, insulin was used to treat a fourteen-year-old boy, Leonard Thomson, who was dying from diabetes. About twenty-four hours after he received insulin, his blood glucose levels dropped to near normal. Soon after, medical firms started the large-scale production of insulin. By 1978, they had developed genetically engineered insulin using bacteria. In time, many other types of insulin were developed, helping millions of people with diabetes.

Pluto’s Moon

Scientists discovered Pluto in 1930. Since then, they have tried to learn as much as possible about the tiny celestial object. In 1978, James Christy, and American astronomer, was studying Pluto’s orbit when he spotted what looked like a blob sticking out from Pluto’s side. He and his team at first thought that they might be seeing the blob because of malfunctioning astronomical equipment. However, they soon noticed that the blob was in the same place every 6.39 days. After more careful study, they concluded that the blob was actually a moon, which they named Charon. Later astronomers discovered that Charon is one of five moons orbiting Pluto.

Rubber Vulcanization

Rubber is a natural substance that comes from trees and has been used by civilizations since ancient times. However, in 1839, Charles Goodyear was experimenting with India rubber recipes to try and improve his inventions. During his experiments, he accidentally discovered the process of vulcanizing rubber. Goodyear had imagined that rubber could be more useful if some of its natural properties were altered. The difficulty was that he did not quite know how to accomplish this.

There needed to be a method to make the rubber more temperature-resistant and prevent it from freezing or melting so easily. He tried all types of additives to his rubber mix and eventually tried adding some sulfur. When it accidentally spilled on a hot stove, the results were astounding. He had expected it to melt into a mess, but instead it turned into a durable leather-like substance that resisted heat and freezing. It also turned out to be elastic and waterproof, which was perfect for many applications. Vulcanized rubber became a standard material used in all sorts of manufactured products, included vehicle tires.

Petroleum Jelly

Oil field workers in Pennsylvania made an interesting discovery during petroleum production. They found there was an annoying jelly-like substance called “rod wax” that accumulated on drilling equipment, but it could be removed and used to soothe and heal small burns and skin irritations that occurred while working. In the mid-nineteenth century, American scientist Robert Chesebrough was looking for new ways to make money in petroleum. Chesebrough decided that this inexpensive waste product could become a useful product to the American public. He took this petroleum jelly by-product and sold it under the trade name “Vaseline.” He was reported to market it by purposely burning himself, then applying his product to show how well it worked.

Botox

Botulinum toxin, more commonly known as Botox, is the most common nonsurgical cosmetic procedure performed in the twenty-first century. Botox was discovered in the 1980s by Doctor Alan Scott, a San Francisco ophthalmologist who was searching for a cure for crossed eyes. He found that Botox not only cured crossed eyes but also had an unusual side-effect—it erased facial wrinkles. FDA approvals were soon sought to use the drug cosmetically, and people could not wait to have the injections.

Strangely, Botox was first used to combat the bacteria that causes botulism, a rare illness that causes paralysis and death. Botox stops muscle activity, preventing the progression of the disease until patients are taken to a hospital for additional treatments.

When injected into the face, Botox temporarily paralyzes the facial muscles that cause wrinkles. The effects of Botox are temporary and last only three or four months. Getting too many Botox injections causes “frozen face,” a condition in which a person’s entire face appears stiff and immobile.

Gunpowder

Chinese alchemists in the ninth century were trying to find a potion that would make them immortal, or at least let them live longer. While doing this, they accidentally discovered saltpeter, which is the main ingredient in gunpower. They combined it with charcoal and sulfur. While the mixture did not make them immortal, it burst into flames when ignited. They used gunpowder for fireworks at first but in time, they began using it for war. They put gunpowder on the tips of arrows. Then they ignited them before launching them across enemy lines.

Bibliography

Alexander, Donovan. “7 Technological Innovations that Came Out of World War II.” Interesting Engineering, 10 July 2020, interestingengineering.com/7-technological-innovations-that-came-out-of-world-war-ii. Accessed 7 Feb. 2022.

Bahraini, Amanda. “The History of Plastic.” Waste Management, 29 June 2020, waste4change.com/blog/the-history-of-plastic/. Accessed 7 Feb. 2022.

Crampton, Linda. “Serendipity: The Role of Chance in Scientific Discoveries.” Owlcation, 23 Jan. 2022, owlcation.com/stem/Serendipity-The-Role-of-Chance-in-Making-Scientific-Discoveries. Accessed 7 Feb. 2022.

“Five Life-Changing Chemicals Discovered by Accident” C&EN Media Group, 6 Feb. 2019, acsmediakit.org/blog/five-life-changing-chemicals-discovered-by-accident/. Accessed 7 Feb. 2022.

“The History of Teflon Fluoropolymers.” Teflon Brand, www.teflon.com/en/news-events/history. Accessed 7 Feb. 2022.

“The History of X-rays: How an Accidental Discovery Changed the World.” Professional Radiology, 18 Feb. 2020, professionalradiologyep.com/the-history-of-X-rays-how-an-accidental-discovery-changed-the-world/. Accessed 7 Feb. 2022.

Kalvaitis, Katie. “Penicillin: An Accidental Discovery Changed the Course of Medicine.” Healio News, 10 Aug. 2008, www.healio.com/news/endocrinology/20120325/penicillin-an-accidental-discovery-changed-the-course-of-medicine. Accessed 7 Feb. 2022.

McFadden, Christopher. “15 Accidental Science Discoveries that Changed the World.” Interesting Engineering, 4 Mar. 2020, interestingengineering.com/15-accidental-science-discoveries-that-changed-the-world. Accessed 7 Feb. 2022.

“The Origin Story—The Accidental Discovery of Vulcanised Rubber.” BYJU, 22 Sept. 2020, blog.byjus.com/the-learning-tree/knowledge-vine/origin-story-vulcanised-rubber/. Accessed 7 Feb. 2022.