Discussion

One of the greatest scientific developments of the past 150 years is the discovery of antibiotics. For some basic background on antibiotics, listen to this very brief Centers for Disease Control (CDC) podcast about antibiotics: 
http://www2c.cdc.gov/podcasts/player.asp?f=10055 

There is, however, a dirty secret about Alexander Fleming and his discovery: It was an accident. As Fleming worked in his lab in the late 1920s, growing disease-causing bacteria in tiny Petri dishes, he got a little sloppy by leaving Petri dishes open too long. One story even hints that he may have sneezed into one of his Petri dishes. Regardless of the exact cause, what resulted was a mold infestation on some of his bacterial dishes. However messy Fleming was, he was also smart enough to see that the mold infestation was killing off the bacteria he was studying, completely by accident, he had found something that killed disease-causing organisms. 

Such "happy accidents" are not uncommon in science: aspartame (NutraSweet) was discovered by a drug chemist who forgot to wash his hands, and even Isaac Newton benefited from a little accidental inspiration when he (supposedly) came up with a description of the concept of gravity after being conked on the head by a falling apple. Scientists, like everyone else, make mistakes. But the best scientists use their mistakes and learn from them. 

Reflect about the famous Louis Pasteur quote: "Chance favors the prepared mind," as well as what you learned about scientific inquiry during the first two weeks of the course. Then, during the week, address the following questions:

Science is amazing 	
Edward Jackson 	
2/18/2012 4:17:28 PM	

	
What examples of learning by "happy accident" have you experienced in your own life?
For those people who know me, I usually don't like leaving things open to chance, I like as close as to a sure thing as I can get.  One simple thing I can recall is how much I hated onions growing up as a kid.  No matter what they were in, I just didn't like them and didn't want to try food with them in it.  Then I ordered a plain burger as an adult, and it was a great burger.  Of course I didn't realize it had red onions on it.  Come to find out, I loved onions and now cook with them all the time.
What do you think it means for a person (especially a scientist) to have a "prepared mind," as Pasteur describes?
A prepared mind is knowledgeable, always objective, and mindful of their lab and experiments in the lab.  
How can a person prepare his or her mind to be open to chance?
In the area of science, chance can be good, but also dangerous.  So you should always take precautions where safety and health are concerned.  A person taking chancing, should prepare for the best outcome, but at the same time be ready to deal with negative results.
What about science makes it particularly good at allowing people to analyze their accidents? 
Science is good for analyzing accidents because there are communities of people (usually highly knowledgeable) that use known testing guidelines, they have tried and tested scientific methods, as well as being known for producing concrete results based upon evidence.
What are some risks associated with research that involves chance? 
I read the article from here Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. about Marie, and the her risks (exposure to radioactive elements) ended up killing her through leukemia.  Whenever chance is involved, you must take extreme caution because the lives of others or yourself could be at risk.  But in many times, the people who take the greatest risks, often render the greatest results (this I completely understand).  

energyquest.ca.gov (2010).  Super Scientists.  Retrieved on 02/18/2012, from Error! Hyperlink reference not valid..

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Eddie Jackson
GOK - Liberal Studies/Philosophy Major
http://eddiejackson.net  university page

	

RE: unit 7 disc board 	
Edward Jackson 	
2/19/2012 3:01:03 PM	

	
I agree with you on embracing the ups and downs in life.  In America we are taught from a very young age about success, education, being strong, and just how to act in general.  The important things that are not taught, are handling depression, dealing with deaths, how to cope with unemployment or juggling bills that can't be paid.  Life definitely has its highpoints, but there is also the lows that we have to learn how to survive, usually on our own.

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Eddie Jackson
GOK - Liberal Studies/Philosophy Major
http://eddiejackson.net  university page

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RE: Unit 7 Discussion 	
Edward Jackson 	
2/20/2012 9:51:00 AM	

	
You’re right, optimism really does help prepare oneself for positive results.  I work in a lab environment quite a bit while designing software for production use.  I have my pitfalls and failures all along the way, but I never let it get me down.  I always say or think that I can do this, that it can and will get done.  And, you know what?  It gets done.  Simple optimism really does help.  I would think most successful scientists have the same view.
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Eddie Jackson
GOK - Liberal Studies/Philosophy Major
http://eddiejackson.net  university page

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