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Serendipity is the effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely. The word derives from an old Persian fairy tale and was coined by Horace Walpole on 28 January 1754 in a letter he wrote to his friend Horace Mann (not the same man as the famed American educator), an Englishman then living in Florence. The letter read, Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wiktionary (a portmanteau of wiki and dictionary) is a multilingual, Web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in over 150 languages. ... A serendipity is a discovery almost by chance. ... Persian literature (in Persian: ‎ ) spans two and a half millennia, though much of the pre-Islamic material has been lost. ... A fairy tale is a story, either told to children or as if told to children, concerning the adventures of mythical characters such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and others. ... Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford, more commonly known as Horace Walpole, (September 24, 1717 – March 2, 1797), was a politician, writer and forerunner of the Gothic revival. ... January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1754 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

"It was once when I read a silly fairy tale, called The Three Princes of Serendip': as their highnesses travelled, they were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of: for instance, one of them discovered that a mule blind of the right eye had travelled the same road lately, because the grass was eaten only on the left side, where it was worse than on the right—now do you understand serendipity? One of the most remarkable instances of this accidental sagacity (for you must observe that no discovery of a thing you are looking for, comes under this description) was of my Lord Shaftsbury, who happening to dine at Lord Chancellor Clarendon's, found out the marriage of the Duke of York and Mrs. Hyde, by the respect with which her mother treated her at table."^[1]

The three princes of serendip were three men who were on a mission but they always found something that was irrelivent but needed in reality. ...

The role of serendipity in science and technology

While some scientists and inventors are reluctant about reporting accidental discoveries, others openly admit its role; in fact serendipity is a major component of scientific discoveries and inventions. According to M.K. Stoskopf [1], it should be recognized that serendipitous discoveries are of significant value in the advancement of science and often present the foundation for important intellectual leaps of understanding.".

The amount of contribution of serendipitous discoveries varies extensively among the several scientific disciplines. Pharmacology and chemistry are probably the fields where serendipity is more common. Pharmacology (in Greek: pharmakos (φάρμακον) meaning drug, and logos (λόγος) meaning science) is the study of how substances interact with living organisms to produce a change in function. ... Chemistry - the study of atoms, made of nuclei (conglomeration of center particles) and electrons (outer particles), and the structures they form. ...

Most authors who have studied scientific serendipity both in a historical, as well as in an epistemological point of view, agree that a prepared and open mind is required on the part of the scientist or inventor to detect the importance of information revealed accidentally. This is the reason why most of the related accidental discoveries occur in the field of specialization of the scientist. About this, Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who discovered LSD properties by accidentally ingesting it at his lab, wrote: Dr. Dr. Albert Hofmann (born January 11, 1906) is a prominent Swiss scientist best known as the father of LSD. He was born in Baden, Switzerland, and studied chemistry at the University of Zürich. ... Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly called LSD, LSD-25, or acid. ...

"It is true that my discovery of LSD was a chance discovery, but it was the outcome of planned experiments and these experiments took place in the framework of systematic pharmaceutical, chemical research. It could better be described as serendipity."

The French scientist Louis Pasteur also famously said that "in the field of observation, chance favors only the prepared mind." (Cf. a maxim of Brian Eno's: "Luck is being ready.") ["There is this cute movie called Serendipity"] Louis Pasteur (December 27, 1822 – September 28, 1895) was a French chemist best known for his remarkable breakthroughs in microbiology. ... Brian Eno (pronounced ) (born Brian Peter George St. ...

History, of course, does not record accidental exposures of information which could have resulted in a new discovery, and we are justified in suspecting that they are many. There are several examples of this, however, and prejudice of preformed concepts are probably the largest obstacle. See for example [2] for a case where this happened (the rejection of an accidental discovery in the field of self-stimulation of the brain in humans)

Examples of serendipity in science and technology

Chemistry

• Gelignite by Alfred Nobel, when he accidentally mixed collodium (gun cotton) with nitroglycerin
• Polyethylene by Hans von Pechmann, who prepared it by accident in 1898 while heating diazomethane
• Silly Putty by James Wright, on the way to solving another problem: finding a rubber substitute for the United States during World War II.
• Chemical synthesis of urea, by Friedrich Woehler. He was attempting to produce ammonium cyanate by mixing potassium cyanate and ammonium chloride and got urea, the first organic chemical to be synthesised, often called the 'Last Nail' of the coffin of the Élan vital Theory
• Pittacal, the first synthetic dyestuff, by Carl Ludwig Reichenbach. The dark blue dye appeared on wooden posts painted with creosote to drive away dogs who urinated on them.
• Mauve, the first aniline dye, by William Henry Perkin. At the age of 18, he was attempting to create artificial quinine. An unexpected residue caught his eye, which turned out to be the first aniline dye—specifically, mauveine, sometimes called aniline purple.
• Racemization, by Louis Pasteur. While investigating the properties of sodium ammonium racemate he was able to separate for the first time the two optical isomers of the salt. His luck was twofold: it is the only racemate salt to have this property, and the room temperature in that day was slightly inferior to the point of separation.
• Teflon, by Roy J. Plunkett, who was trying to develop a new gas for refrigeration and got a slick substance instead, which was used first for lubrication of machine parts
• Cyanoacrilate-based Superglue (a.k.a. Krazy Glue) was accidentally twice discovered by Dr. Harry Coover, first when he was developing a clear plastic for gunsights and later, when he was trying to develop a heat-resistant polymer for jet canopies.
• Scotchgard moisture repellant used to protect fabrics and leather, was discovered accidentally in 1953 by Patsy Sherman. One of the compounds she was investigating as a rubber material that wouldn't deteriorate when in contact with aircraft fuel. Some of the material spilled onto her new tennis shoes, and would not wash out.
• Cellophane, the most popular clear plastic wrapper, was developed in 1908 by Swiss chemist Jacques Brandenberger, as a material for covering stain-proof tablecloth.
• The chemical element oxygen
• The chemical element helium. British chemist William Ramsay isolated helium while looking for argon but, after separating nitrogen and oxygen from the gas liberated by sulfuric acid, noticed a bright-yellow line that matched the D3 line observed in the spectrum of the Sun.
• The chemical element Iodine was discovered by Bernard Courtois in 1811, when he was trying to remove residues with strong acid from the bottom of his saltpeter production plant which used seaweed ashes as a prime material.
• Polycarbonates, a kind of clear hard plastic
• The synthetic polymer celluloid was discovered by British chemist and metallurgist Alexander Parkes in 1856, after observing that a solid residue remained after evaporation of the solvent from photographic collodion. Celluloid can be described as the first plastic used for making solid objects (the first ones being billiard balls, substituting for expensive ivory).
• Rayon, the first synthetic silk was discovered by French chemist Hilaire de Chardonnet, an assistant to Louis Pasteur. He spilled a bottle of collodion and found later that he could draw thin strands from the evaporated viscous liquid.
• The possibility of synthesizing indigo, a natural dye extracted from a plant with the same name was discovered by a chemist named Sapper who was heating coal tar when he accidentally broke a thermometer, and its mercury content acted as a catalyst to produce phthalic anhydride, which could readily be converted into indigo.
• The dye monastral blue was discovered in 1928 in Scotland, when chemist A.G. Dandridge heated a mixture of chemicals at high temperature in a sealed iron container. Inadvertently, iron reacted with these compounds, producing some pigments called phthalocyanines. By substituting copper for iron, he produced an even better pigment called 'monastral blue', which became the basis for many new coloring materials for paints, lacquers and printing inks.
• Acesulfame, an artificial sweetener was discovered accidentally in 1967 by Karl Claus at Hoechst AG.
• Another sweetener, cyclamate, was discovered by US chemist Michael Sveda, when he smoked a cigarette accidentally contaminated with a compound he had recently synthesized.
• Aspartame (NutraSweet) was also accidentally ingested by G.D. Searle chemist James Schlatter, who was trying to develop a test for an anti-ulcer drug.
• Post-it note and 3M, the scientist who accidentally discovered it was attempting to design a strong adhesive, but instead developed one that was very weak.

Gelignite, also known as Blasting gelatin, is an explosive material consisting of collodion-cotton (a type of nitrocellulose or gun cotton) dissolved in nitroglycerine and mixed with wood pulp and sodium or potassium nitrate. ...   (October 21, 1833, Stockholm, Sweden—December 10, 1896, Sanremo, Italy) was a Swedish chemist, engineer, innovator, armaments manufacturer and the inventor of dynamite. ... Nitrocellulose (Cellulose nitrate, guncotton) is a highly flammable compound formed by nitrating cellulose (e. ... Nitroglycerin (NG), also known as nitroglycerine, trinitroglycerin, and glyceryl trinitrate, is a chemical compound. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Hans von Pechmann (1850 - 1902) was a German chemist, renowned for his discovery of diazomethane, Pechmann condensation and Pechmann pyrazole synthesis. ... Year 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Diazomethane is the chemical compound CH2N2. ... Silly putty dripping through a hole Silly Putty shown as a solid cube Silly Putty (originally called nutty putty, and also known as Potty Putty) is a silicone plastic clay, marketed as a toy for children by Jeffrey Lyons Inc. ... James wright was an engineer at General Electric who invented silly putty in 1943. ... Latex being collected from a tapped rubber tree Rubber is an elastic hydrocarbon polymer which occurs as a milky colloidal suspension (known as latex) in the sap of several varieties of plants. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... In chemistry, chemical synthesis is purposeful execution of chemical reactions in order to get a product, or several products. ... Urea is an organic compound of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen, with the formula CON2H4 or (NH2)2CO. Urea is also known as carbamide, especially in the recommended International Nonproprietary Names (rINN) in use in Europe. ... Friedrich Wöhler Friedrich Wöhler (July 31, 1800 - September 23, 1882) was a German chemist, best-known for his synthesis of urea, but also the first to isolate several of the elements. ... Potassium cyanate or potassium isocyanate is an inorganic compound and the potassium salt of cyanic acid with the chemical formula of KOCN (also: KCNO). ... Ammonium chloride or Sal Ammoniac (chemically ammonium chloride (NH4Cl); also salmiac, nushadir salt, zalmiak, sal armagnac, sal armoniac, salmiakki, salmiak and salt armoniack) is, in its pure form, a clear white water-soluble crystalline salt with a biting, slightly sour taste. ... An organic compound is any of a large class of chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon, with exception of carbides, carbonates and carbon oxides. ... An idea created by French philosopher Henri Bergson in the late 19th century, élan vital is usually translated as vital force. It is a hypothetical aetiological force thought to cause the evolution and development of organisms. ... Pittacal was the first synthetic dyestuff to be produced commercially. ... Yarn drying after being dyed in the early American tradition, at Conner Prairie living history museum. ... Carl Ludwig von Reichenbach Baron Dr. Carl (Karl) Ludwig von Reichenbach (full name: Karl Ludwig Freiherr von Reichenbach) (February 12, 1788, Stuttgart - January 19, 1869, Leipzig, Germany) was a notable chemist, geologist, metallurgist, naturalist, industrialist and philosopher, a member of the prestigious Prussian Academy of Sciences, and considered one of... Creosote is the name used for a variety of products: wood creosote, coal tar creosote, coal tar, coal tar pitch, and coal tar pitch volatiles. ... This is an article about the color mauve. ... Aniline, phenylamine or aminobenzene (C6H5NH2) is an organic chemical compound which is a primary aromatic amine consisting of a benzene ring and an amino group. ... Sir William Henry Perkin (March 12, 1838 – July 14, 1907) was an English chemist best known for his discovery, at the age of 18, of the first aniline dye, mauveine. ... Quinine (IPA: ) is a natural white crystalline alkaloid having antipyretic (fever-reducing), antimalarial, analgesic (painkilling), and anti-inflammatory properties and a bitter taste. ... In chemistry racemization refers to partial conversion of one enantiomer into another. ... Louis Pasteur (December 27, 1822 – September 28, 1895) was a French chemist best known for his remarkable breakthroughs in microbiology. ... Optical isomerism is a form of isomerism (specifically stereoisomerism) whereby the different 2 isomers are the same in every way except being non-superimposable mirror images* of each other. ... Teflon is polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a polymer of fluorinated ethylene. ... Roy J. Plunkett (June 26, 1910 - May 12, 1994) was the chemist who accidentally invented Teflon in 1938. ... Refrigeration is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space, or from a substance, and rejecting it elsewhere for the primary purpose of lowering the temperature of the enclosed space or substance and then maintaining that lower temperature. ... Cyanoacrylate is the generic name for substances such as methyl-2-cyanoacrylate, which is usually sold under the trademarks Superglue and Krazy Glue, and 2-octyl cyanoacrylate, which is used in medical glues such as Dermabond and Traumaseal. ... Harry Coover (b. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Sight of a Sig 550 rifle (muzzle) Sight of a Sig 550 rifle (stock) A sight is an optical device used to assist aim by guiding the eye. ... A polymer is a substance composed of molecules with large molecular mass composed of repeating structural units, or monomers, connected by covalent chemical bonds. ... Jet aircraft are aircrafts with jet engines. ... Look up Canopy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Scotchgard is a 3M brand of products used to protect fabric, furniture, and carpets. ... A variety of fabric. ... Modern leather-working tools Leather is a material created through the tanning of hides and skins of animals, primarily cattlehide. ... Year 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Patsy Sherman (1930- ) is an American chemist and co-inventor with Samuel Smith of Scotchgard while an employee of the 3M corporation in 1952. ... Latex being collected from a tapped rubber tree Rubber is an elastic hydrocarbon polymer which occurs as a milky colloidal suspension (known as latex) in the sap of several varieties of plants. ... An aviation fuel truck. ... An athletic shoe is a generic name for a shoe designed for sporting activities, and is different in style and build than a dress shoe. ... Cellophane is a thin, transparent sheet made of processed cellulose. ... A wrapper can refer to several things: In computer science: a wrapper pattern (such as a driver wrapper) is a design pattern where a piece of code allows classes to work together that normally could not because of incompatible interfaces. ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Jacques Edwin Brandenberger (October 19, 1872 – July 13, 1954) was a Swiss chemist and textile engineer who in 1908 invented cellophane. ... General Name, Symbol, Number oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series nonmetals, chalcogens Group, Period, Block 16, 2, p Appearance colorless (gas) very pale blue (liquid) Standard atomic weight 15. ... General Name, Symbol, Number helium, He, 2 Chemical series noble gases Group, Period, Block 18, 1, s Appearance colorless Standard atomic weight 4. ... Sir William Ramsay (October 2, 1852 – July 23, 1916) was a Scottish chemist who discovered the noble gases and received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1904 (along with Lord Rayleigh who received the Nobel Prize in Physics that same year for the discovery of argon). ... General Name, Symbol, Number argon, Ar, 18 Chemical series noble gases Group, Period, Block 18, 3, p Appearance colorless Standard atomic weight 39. ... General Name, Symbol, Number nitrogen, N, 7 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 15, 2, p Appearance colorless gas Standard atomic weight 14. ... General Name, Symbol, Number oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series nonmetals, chalcogens Group, Period, Block 16, 2, p Appearance colorless (gas) very pale blue (liquid) Standard atomic weight 15. ... Sulfuric (or sulphuric) acid, H2SO4, is a strong mineral acid. ... In most modern usages of the word spectrum, there is a unifying theme of between extremes at either end. ... “Sol” redirects here. ... General Name, Symbol, Number iodine, I, 53 Chemical series halogens Group, Period, Block 17, 5, p Appearance violet-dark gray, lustrous Standard atomic weight 126. ... Bernard Courtois, also spelled Barnard Courtois, (8 February 1777–27 September 1838) was a French chemist who discovered iodine in 1811. ... 1811 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Acidity redirects here. ... R-phrases   S-phrases   Supplementary data page Structure and properties n, εr, etc. ... Ascophyllum nodosum exposed to the sun in Nova Scotia, Canada Dead Mans Fingers (Codium fragile) off Massachusetts coast For the Marine Biology Summer internship Marine Algae by Friday Harbor Laboratories, see; Marine Algae For the band, see; Seaweed (band) For the rock musician, see; Seaweed (musician) Seaweeds are any... Polycarbonates are a particular group of thermoplastic polyesters. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... A polymer is a substance composed of molecules with large molecular mass composed of repeating structural units, or monomers, connected by covalent chemical bonds. ... Celluloid is the name of a class of compounds created from nitrocellulose and camphor, plus dyes and other agents, generally regarded to be the first thermoplastic. ... The first Celluloids were invented in Birmingham England by Alexander Parkes although he did not live to see their full impact on film. ... A solvent is a liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution. ... Billiard (as a noun, adjective or verb) may refer to: A type of shot in cue sports (such as pool, carom billiards and snooker) The traditional European name for the number 1015 in mathematics (called quadrillion in modern science) A dynamical system of particle trajectories within a closed reflective boundary... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Rayon is a manufactured regenerated cellulosic fiber. ... Silk dresses Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. ... Louis Pasteur (December 27, 1822 – September 28, 1895) was a French chemist best known for his remarkable breakthroughs in microbiology. ... // Collodion is a solution of nitrocellulose in ether or acetone, sometimes with the addition of alcohols. ... Indigo (or spectral indigo) is the color on the spectrum between 440 and 420 nanometres in wavelength, placing it between blue and violet. ... Look up dye in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Coal tar is the liquid by-product of the distillation of coal to make coke. ... It has been suggested that List of temperature sensors be merged into this article or section. ... General Name, Symbol, Number mercury, Hg, 80 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 12, 6, d Appearance silvery Standard atomic weight 200. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Catalysis. ... R-phrases , , , S-phrases , , , , , Flash point 152 °C RTECS number TI3150000 Supplementary data page Structure and properties n, εr, etc. ... Phthalocyanine Blue BN Phthalocyanine Blue BN, also called phthalo blue, helio blue, phthalocyanine blue, C.I. Pigment Blue 15:2, Copper phthalocyanine blue, Copper tetrabenzoporphyrazine, Cu-Phthaloblue, and C.I. 74160, is a bright, greenish-blue crystalline synthetic blue pigment from the group of phthalocyanine dyes. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity Cha togar mfhearg gun dioladh (Scottish Gaelic) Wha daur meddle wi me?(Scots)1 Anthem (Multiple unofficial anthems) Scotlands location in Europe Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic and Scots1 Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Monarch Queen Elizabeth II... General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Standard atomic weight 55. ... Natural Ultramarine pigment in powdered form. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... General Name, Symbol, Number copper, Cu, 29 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 4, d Appearance metallic pinkish red Standard atomic weight 63. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... In a general sense, lacquer is a clear or coloured coating, that dries by solvent evaporation only and that produces a hard, durable finish that can be polished to a very high gloss, and gives the illusion of depth. ... Chemical structure of Acesulfame potassium Acesulfame potassium is a calorie-free artificial sweetener, also known as Acesulfame K or Ace K, and marketed under the trade names Sunette and Sweet One. ... A sweetener is a food additive which adds the basic taste of sweetness to a food. ... Hoechst AG was a German life-sciences company that became Aventis after its merger with Rhône-Poulenc S.A. in 1999. ... Cyclamate is an artificial sweetener that was discovered in 1937 at the University of Illinois by graduate student Michael Sveda. ... Aspartame (or APM) (IPA: ) is the name for an artificial, non-saccharide sweetener, aspartyl-phenylalanine-1-methyl ester; i. ... G.D. Searle & Company was a company focusing on life sciences, specifically pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and animal health. ... Endoscopic images of a duodenal ulcer. ... A pad of fan-folded Post-it pop-up notes, shown still glued together A Post-it note (or simply Post-it), invented and manufactured by 3M, is a piece of stationery with a re-adherable strip of adhesive on the back, designed for temporarily attaching notes to documents, computer...

Pharmacology

• Penicillin by Alexander Fleming. He failed to disinfect cultures of bacteria when leaving for his vacations, only to find them contaminated with Penicillium molds, which killed the bacteria. However, it should be noted that he had previously done extensive research into antibacterial substances.
• The psychedelic effects of LSD by Albert Hofmann. A chemist, he accidentally ingested a small amount of it upon investigating its properties, and had the first acid trip in history, while cycling to his home in Switzerland; this is commemorated among LSD users annually as Bicycle Day.
• 5-fluorouracil's therapeutic action on actinic keratosis, was initially investigated for its anti-cancer actions
• Minoxidil's action on baldness, originally it was an oral agent for treating hypertension. It was observed that bald patients treated with it grew hair too.
• Viagra (sildenafil citrate), an anti-impotence drug. It was initially studied for use in hypertension and angina pectoris. Phase I clinical trials under the direction of Ian Osterloh suggested that the drug had little effect on angina, but that it could induce marked penile erections.
• Retin-A anti-wrinkle action. It was a vitamin A derivative first used for treating acne. The accidental result in some older people was a reduction of wrinkles on the face
• The libido-enhancing effect of l-dopa, a drug used for treating Parkinson's disease. Older patients in a sanatorium had their long-lost interest in sex suddenly revived.
• The first benzodiazepine, chlordiazepoxide (Librium®) was discovered accidentally in 1954 by the Austrian scientist Dr Leo Sternbach (1908-2005), who found the substance while cleaning up his lab
• The first anti-psychotic drug, chlorpromazine, was discovered by French pharmacologist Henri Laborit. He wanted to add an anti-histaminic to a pharmacological combination to prevent surgical shock and accidentally observed that patients treated with it were remarkably calm before the operation.
• the anti-cancer drug cisplatin was discovered by Barnett Rosenberg. He wanted to explore the inhibiting effects of an electric field on the growth of bacteria: it was rather due to an electrolysis product of the platinum electrode he was using.
• Quinine, a derivative of the cinchone tree was probably discovered by an Indian who tried to quench his thirst during a malarial attack by drinking water near the plant and saw the fever abate. Jesuit priests heard the story and popularised its use.
• The anesthetic nitrous oxide. Initially well known for inducing altered behavior (hilarity, its properties were discovered when British chemist Humphry Davy tested the gas on himself and some of his friends, and soon realised that nitrous oxide considerably dulled the sensation of pain, even if the inhaler were still semi-conscious.
• The anesthetic ether
• Mustine, a derivative of the mustard gas (a chemical weapon), used for the treatment of some forms of cancer. In 1943, physicians noted that the white cell counts of US soldiers accidentally exposed when a cache of mustard gas shells were bombed in Bari, Italy, were decreased, and mustard gas was investigated as a therapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma.
• The first oral contraceptive (a.k.a. The Pill) was discovered by Dr. Carl Djerassi accidental production of synthetic progesterone and its intentional modification to allow for oral intake
• Prontosil, an antibiotic of the sulfa group was an azo dye. German chemists at Bayer had the wrong idea that selective chemical stains of bacteria would show specific antibacterial activity. Prontosil had it, but in fact it was due to another substance metabolised from it in the body, sulfanilimide.

Penicillin nucleus Penicillin (sometimes abbreviated PCN) refers to a group of β-lactam antibiotics used in the treatment of bacterial infections caused by susceptible, usually Gram-positive, organisms. ... Alexander Fleming Sir Alexander Fleming (6 August 1881 – 11 March 1955) was a Scottish biologist and pharmacologist. ... Phyla Actinobacteria Aquificae Chlamydiae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Lentisphaerae Nitrospirae Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Verrucomicrobia Bacteria (singular: bacterium) are unicellular microorganisms. ... Species Penicillium bilaiae Penicillium camemberti Penicillium candida Penicillium claviforme Penicillium crustosum Penicillium glaucum Penicillium marneffei Penicillium notatum Penicillium purpurogenum Penicillium roqueforti Penicillium stoloniferum Penicillium viridicatum Penicillium verrucosum Penicillium commune Penicillium is a genus of ascomyceteous fungi that includes: Penicillium bilaiae, which is an agricultural inoculant. ... It has been suggested that Toxic mold be merged into this article or section. ... For psychedelics, see psychedelic drug. ... Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly called LSD, LSD-25, or acid. ... Dr. Dr. Albert Hofmann (born January 11, 1906) is a prominent Swiss scientist best known as the father of LSD. He was born in Baden, Switzerland, and studied chemistry at the University of Zürich. ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ... Bicycle Day is April 19, commemorating April 19, 1943, when Dr. Albert Hofmann first took LSD intentionally. ... Fluorouracil (5-FU) is a drug that is used in the treatment of cancer. ... Actinic keratosis (also called solar keratosis, senile keratosis, or AK) is a premalignant condition of thick, scaly, or crusty patches of skin. ... Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis (where cancer cells are transported through the bloodstream or lymphatic system). ... Minoxidil is a vasodilator and originally was exclusively used as an oral drug (Loniten®) to treat high blood pressure. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For the film, see Hair (film). ... // ... Impotence or, more clinically, erectile dysfunction is the inability to develop or maintain an erection of the penis for satisfactory sexual intercourse regardless of the capability of ejaculation. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Ian Osterloh Is a clinical researcher attributed with the creation of viagra and numerous other Cardiovascular Drugs. ... The erection of the penis, clitoris or a nipple is its enlarged and firm state. ... Retin-A is a trademarked brand name for Tretinoin, a retinoic acid cream used to treat acne; it is claimed that it stimulates skin cell turnover and smoothes wrinkles. ... ‹ The template below (Expand) is being considered for deletion. ... Vitamin A is an essential human nutrient. ... Libido in its common usage means sexual desire; however, more technical definitions, such as those found in the work of Carl Jung, are more general, referring to libido as the free creative—or psychic—energy an individual has to put toward personal development, or individuation. ... // Therapeutic use L-DOPA is used to replace dopamine lost in Parkinsons disease because dopamine itself cannot cross the blood-brain barrierwhere its precursor can. ... Alprazolam 2mg tablets The benzodiazepines (pronounced , or benzos for short) are a class of psychoactive drugs considered as minor tranquilizers with varying hypnotic, sedative, anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, muscle relaxant and amnesic properties, which are brought on by slowing down the central nervous system. ... Chlordiazepoxide (marketed under the trade name Librium®) is a hypnotic drug which is a benzodiazepine derivative. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dr Leo Henryk Sternbach (May 7, 1908 – September 28, 2005) was a Polish-Jewish chemist who is credited with inventing the benzodiazepine, a class of tranquilizers. ... The term antipsychotic is applied to a group of drugs used to treat psychosis. ... Chlorpromazine was the first antipsychotic drug, used during the 1950s and 1960s. ... Henri Laborit (November 21, 1914 - May 18, 1995) was a French physician, writer and philosopher. ... This article is about the medical condition. ... Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis (where cancer cells are transported through the bloodstream or lymphatic system). ... Cisplatin, cisplatinum or cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (CDDP) is a platinum-based chemotherapy drug used to treat various types of cancers, including sarcomas, some carcinomas (e. ... Barnett Rosenberg (1926 - ) is an American chemist best known for the discovery of the anti-cancer drug cisplatin. ... In physics, the space surrounding an electric charge or in the presence of a time-varying magnetic field has a property called an electric field. ... Phyla Actinobacteria Aquificae Chlamydiae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Lentisphaerae Nitrospirae Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Verrucomicrobia Bacteria (singular: bacterium) are unicellular microorganisms. ... This article is about the chemical process. ... General Name, Symbol, Number platinum, Pt, 78 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 10, 6, d Appearance grayish white Standard atomic weight 195. ... An electrode is an electrical conductor used to make contact with a metallic part of a circuit (e. ... Quinine (IPA: ) is a natural white crystalline alkaloid having antipyretic (fever-reducing), antimalarial, analgesic (painkilling), and anti-inflammatory properties and a bitter taste. ... Species about 25 species; see text Cinchona is a genus of about 25 species in the family Rubiaceae, native to tropical South America. ... Malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease that is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, including parts of the Americas, Asia, and Africa. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... The Society of Jesus (Latin: Societas Iesu), commonly known as the Jesuits, is a Roman Catholic religious order. ... R-phrases S-phrases Supplementary data page Structure and properties n, εr, etc. ... Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet, FRS (17 December 1778 – 29 May 1829) was a British chemist and physicist. ... “Hurting” redirects here. ... This article is about the chemical compound. ... Mustine is the prototype anticancer chemotherapeutic drug. ... Airborne exposure limit 0. ... Dressing the wounded during a gas attack by Austin O. Spare, 1918. ... Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis (where cancer cells are transported through the bloodstream or lymphatic system). ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Location within Italy Bari is the capital of the province of Bari and of the Apulia (or Puglia) region, on the Adriatic sea, in Italy. ... Hodgkins lymphoma, also known as Hodgkins disease, is a type of lymphoma first described by Thomas Hodgkin in 1832. ... The combined oral contraceptive pill, often referred to as the Pill, is a combination of an estrogen (oestrogen) and a progestin (progestogen), taken by mouth to inhibit normal fertility. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Progesterone is a C-21 steroid hormone involved in the female menstrual cycle, pregnancy (supports gestation) and embryogenesis of humans and other species. ... Prontosil is the first successful oral antibiotic developed by Gerhard Domagk, who received the 1939 Nobel Prize in Medicine. ... Staphylococcus aureus - Antibiotics test plate. ... SULFA, short for Surrendered ULFA, i. ... In chemistry, azo compounds generally have a molecular formula of the form R-N=N-R, in which R and R can be either aromatic or aliphatic. ... Bayer AG (IPA pronunciation //) (ISIN: DE0005752000, NYSE: BAY, TYO: 4863 ) is a German chemical and pharmaceutical company founded in Barmen, Germany in 1863. ... A stain is a discoloration that distinguishes itself from the material on which it is found. ... Sulfonamides, also known as sulfa drugs, are synthetic antimicrobial agents derived from sulfonic acid. ...

Medicine and Biology

• Bioelectricity, by Luigi Galvani. He was dissecting a frog at a table where he had been conducting experiments with static electricity, Galvani's assistant touched an exposed sciatic nerve of the frog with a metal scalpel, which had picked up a charge, provoking a muscle contraction.
• Neural control of blood vessels, by Claude Bernard
• Anaphylaxis, by Charles Robert Richet, when he tried to reuse dogs that hadn't previously shown allergic reactions to sea anemone toxin, developed them much faster and more intense in the second time
• The role of pancreas in glucose metabolism, by Oskar Minkowski. Dogs that had their pancreas removed for an unrelated physiological investigation, urinated profusely and the urine attracted flies, indicating its high glucose content
• Coronary catheterization was discovered as a method when a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic accidentally injected radiocontrast into the coronary artery instead of the left ventricle.
• The mydriatic effects of belladonna extracts, by Friedrich Ferdinand Runge
• The Pap smear medical test for uterine cancer was discovered by Dr. Georgios Papanikolaou when he was investigating the cycle of cells in the vaginal fluid of a cancerous patient.
• Vaccination, discovered by English physician Edward Jenner, after he observed that milkmaids would not catch smallpox since they caught benign cowpox first.
• Interferon, an antiviral factor, was discovered accidentally by two Japanese virologists, Yasu-ichi Nagano and Yasuhiko Kojima while aiming to develop an improved vaccine for smallpox.

Bioelectromagnetism (sometimes equated with bioelectricity) refers to the static voltage of biological cells and to the electric currents that flow in living tissues, such as nerves and muscles, as a result of action potentials. ... Luigi Galvani - Italian physician famous for making frogs legs twitch. ... Distribution of frogs (in black) Suborders Archaeobatrachia Mesobatrachia Neobatrachia - List of Anuran families The frogness babe is an amphibian in the order Anura (meaning tail-less from Greek an-, without + oura, tail), formerly referred to as Salientia (Latin saltare, to jump). ... Static electricity is a class of phenomena involving the net charge present on an object; typically referring to charged object with voltages of sufficient magnitude to produce visible attraction, repulsion, and sparks. ... The sciatic nerve (also known as the ischiatic nerve) is a large nerve that runs down the lower limb. ... A scalpel is a very sharp knife used for surgery, anatomical dissection, and various arts and crafts. ... A top-down view of skeletal muscle Muscle (from Latin musculus little mouse [1]) is contractile tissue of the body and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. ... f you all The blood vessels are part of the circulatory system and function to transport blood throughout the body. ... Claude Bernard Claude Bernard (July 12, 1813 - February 10, 1878) was a French physiologist. ... Anaphylaxis is an acute systemic (multi-system) and severe Type I Hypersensitivity allergic reaction. ... Charles Robert Richet (August 26, 1850 _ December 4, 1935) was a French physiologist who won the 1913 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his work on anaphylaxis, his term for the sometimes fatal reaction by a sensitized individual to a second injection of an antigen. ... Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris The dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is a domestic subspecies of the wolf, a mammal of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. ... ‹ The template below (Taginfo) is being considered for deletion. ... Species see text Anemone (Anemone) (from the Gr. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The pancreas is a gland organ in the digestive and endocrine systems of vertebrates[2]. It is both exocrine (secreting pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes) and endocrine (producing several important hormones, including insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin). ... Glucose (Glc), a monosaccharide (or simple sugar), is the most important carbohydrate in biology. ... A few of the metabolic pathways in a cell. ... Oskar Minkowski (January 13, 1858, Kaunas, Lithuania - July 18, 1931, Mecklenburg, Germany) was a famous Jewish doctor of Polish origin. ... The pancreas is a gland organ in the digestive and endocrine systems of vertebrates[2]. It is both exocrine (secreting pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes) and endocrine (producing several important hormones, including insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin). ... Coronary angiogram A coronary catheterization is a minimally invasive procedure to access the coronary circulation and blood filled chambers of the heart using a catheter. ... ... Cleveland Clinic is a multispecialty academic medical center located in Cleveland, Ohio. ... Radiocontrast agents (or simply contrast agents) are compounds used to improve the visibility of internal bodily structures in an X-ray image. ... The coronary circulation consists of the blood vessels that supply blood to, and remove blood from, the heart. ... In the heart, a ventricle is a chamber which collects blood from an atrium (another heart chamber) and pumps it out of the heart. ... Categories: Medicine stubs | Sign (medicine) ... For information on the erotic actress Belladonna see: Belladonna. ... Friedrich (or Friedlieb/Friedlob) Ferdinand Runge (born near Hamburg on 8 February 1795, died in Oranienburg on 25 March 1867) was an analytical chemist. ... The pap smear as we know it is an invention of Dr. Georgios Papanikolaou (1883-1962), an American of Greek birth, the father of cytopathology. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Endometrial cancer. ... George Papanikolaou on a Greek 10,000 Drachma note. ... The vagina, (from Latin, literally sheath or scabbard ) is the tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles. ... Vaccination is the process of administering pathogens that cant reproduce (due to being weakened or dead) to a healthy person or animal, with the intent of conferring immunity against a targeted form of a related disease agent. ... The Doctor by Luke Fildes This article is about the term physician, one type of doctor; for other uses of the word doctor see Doctor. ... Portrait of Edward Jenner Edward Jenner, FRS, (17 May 1749 – 26 January 1823) was an English country doctor who studied nature and his natural surroundings from childhood and practiced medicine in Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England. ... A milkmaid is historically a woman, usually young, who milked cows and supplied milk. ... Smallpox (also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera) is a highly contagious disease unique to humans. ... Cowpox is a disease of the skin caused by a virus (Cowpox virus) that is related to the Vaccinia virus. ... Interferons (IFNs) are natural proteins produced by the cells of the immune system of most vertebrates in response to challenges by foreign agents such as viruses, bacteria, parasites and tumor cells. ... Virology is the study of viruses and their properties. ... A vaccine is an antigenic preparation used to establish immunity to a disease. ... Smallpox (also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera) is a highly contagious disease unique to humans. ...

Physics and Astronomy

• Discovery of the planet Uranus by William Herschel. A double beneficiary (see below) Herschel certainly wasn't looking for new planets when he found Uranus. Like many astronomers of his time, he was looking for comets. He first identified Uranus as a comet, naturally, and it was only after noticing the circularity of its orbit and its distance that he proposed that it was a planet, the first "new" one ever.
• Infrared radiation by William Herschel. Herschel was investigating the temperature differences between different colors of visible light by breaking sunlight into a spectrum using a glass prism. He put thermometers into the different visible colors, then put one in the darkness beyond the red end of the spectrum. The latter one, put where there was no light, was to act as a control, to measure the background air temperature and then reference the differences in temperature in the light to that. He intended to subtract it from the other temperatures, but to his surprise he could not do so because that thermometer registered a greater temperature than the others! After trying other positions, such as above or below the spectrum, which did give background air temperature, he correctly concluded that there was non-visible radiation beyond the red end of the visible spectrum. It is possible he could have discovered ultraviolet radiation the same way, except that glass effectively blocks radiation in that region of the electromagnetic spectrum.
• S. N. Bose discovered Bose-Einstein statistics when a simple math error surprisingly explained anomalous data.
• High-temperature superconductivity was discovered serendipitously by physicists Johannes Georg Bednorz and Karl Alexander Müller, ironically when they were searching for a material that would be a perfect isolator (nonconducting). They were awarded the 1987 Nobel Prize in Physics for that.
• Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation, by Arno A. Penzias and Robert Woodrow Wilson. What they thought was an excess electrical noise due to temperature in their antenna at Bell Labs amounted to the long-sought CMBR.
• Radioactivity, by Henri Becquerel. While trying to investigate phosphorescent materials using photographic plates, he stumbled upon uranium.
• X rays, by Wilhelm Roentgen. Interested in investigating cathodic ray tubes, he noted that some fluorescent papers in his lab were illuminated at a distance
• Electromagnetism, by Hans Christian Oersted. While he was setting up his materials for a lecture, he noticed a compass needle deflecting from magnetic north when the electric current from the battery he was using was switched on and off.
• Pulsars, by Antony Hewish and Jocelyn Bell Burnell. What these radio-astronomers thought was a radio emission from intelligent sources in a far away galaxy, resulted in the discovery of a new type of rapidly rotating star.
• Cosmic gamma-ray bursts were discovered in the late 1960s by the US Vela satellites, which were built to detect nuclear tests in the Soviet Union
• Metallic hydrogen was found accidentally in March 1996 by a group of scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, after a 60-year search.
• The thermoelectric effect was discovered accidentally by Estonian physicist Thomas Seebeck, in 1821, who found that a voltage developed between the two ends of a metal bar when it was submitted to a difference of temperature.
• Pluto's moon Charon was discovered by US astronomer James Christy in 1978. He was going to discard what he thought was a defective photographic plate of Pluto, when his Star Scan machine broke down. While it was being repaired he had time to study the plate again and discovered others in the archives with the same "defect" (a bulge in the planet's image which was actually a large moon).

Adjectives: Uranian Atmosphere Surface pressure: 120 kPa (at the cloud level) Composition: 83% Hydrogen 15% Helium 1. ... William Herschel Sir Frederick William Herschel, FRS KH (15 November 1738-25 August 1822) was a German-born British astronomer and composer who became famous for discovering the planet Uranus. ... Adjectives: Uranian Atmosphere Surface pressure: 120 kPa (at the cloud level) Composition: 83% Hydrogen 15% Helium 1. ... Comet Hale-Bopp, showing a white dust tail and blue gas tail (February 1997) A comet is a small astronomical object similar to an asteroid but composed largely of ice. ... Adjectives: Uranian Atmosphere Surface pressure: 120 kPa (at the cloud level) Composition: 83% Hydrogen 15% Helium 1. ... Image of a small dog taken in mid-infrared (thermal) light (false color) Infrared (IR) radiation is electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength longer than visible light, but shorter than microwave radiation. ... William Herschel Sir Frederick William Herschel, FRS KH (15 November 1738-25 August 1822) was a German-born British astronomer and composer who became famous for discovering the planet Uranus. ... If a shaft of light entering a prism is sufficiently narrow, a spectrum results. ... Note: Ultraviolet is also the name of a 1998 UK television miniseries about vampires. ... Legend γ = Gamma rays HX = Hard X-rays SX = Soft X-Rays EUV = Extreme ultraviolet NUV = Near ultraviolet Visible light NIR = Near infrared MIR = Moderate infrared FIR = Far infrared Radio waves EHF = Extremely high frequency (Microwaves) SHF = Super high frequency (Microwaves) UHF = Ultra high frequency VHF = Very high frequency HF = High... Satyendra Nath Bose Bengali: ) (January 1, 1894 – February 4, 1974) was an Indian physicist, specializing in mathematical physics. ... In statistical mechanics, Bose-Einstein statistics determines the statistical distribution of identical indistinguishable bosons over the energy states in thermal equilibrium. ... Despite its name, high-temperature superconductivity still occurs at cryogenic temperatures. ... Johannes Georg Bednorz (born May 16, 1950) is a German physicist who, along with Karl Alex Muller, was awarded the 1987 Nobel Prize for Physics for their joint discovery of superconductivity in certain substances at temperatures higher than had previously been thought attainable. ... Karl Alexander Müller (born April 20, 1927) is a Swiss physicist who, along with J. Georg Bednorz, was awarded the 1987 Nobel Prize for Physics for their joint discovery of superconductivity in certain substances at higher temperatures than had previously been thought attainable. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Hannes Alfvén (1908–1995) accepting the Nobel Prize for his work on magnetohydrodynamics [1]. List of Nobel Prize laureates in Physics from 1901 to the present day. ... In cosmology, the cosmic microwave background radiation (most often abbreviated CMB but occasionally CMBR, CBR or MBR, also referred as relic radiation) is a form of electromagnetic radiation discovered in 1965 that fills the entire universe. ... Arno Allan Penzias (born April 26, American physicist. ... Robert Woodrow Wilson Robert Woodrow Wilson (born January 10, 1936) is an American physicist. ... ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... The 64 meter radio telescope at Parkes Observatory A radio telescope is a form of directional radio antenna most often used in radio astronomy and in tracking and collecting data from satellites and space probes (see Deep Space Network), and are also used in the SETI project. ... Bell Laboratories (also known as Bell Labs and formerly known as AT&T Bell Laboratories and Bell Telephone Laboratories) was the main research and development arm of the United States Bell System. ... Radioactivity may mean: Look up radioactivity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Antoine Henri Becquerel (December 15, 1852 – August 25, 1908) was a French physicist, Nobel laureate, and one of the discoverers of radioactivity. ... A property of emitting light for a period of time after the source of excitation is taken away, e. ... General Name, Symbol, Number uranium, U, 92 Chemical series actinides Group, Period, Block n/a, 7, f Appearance silvery gray metallic; corrodes to a spalling black oxide coat in air Standard atomic weight 238. ... In the NATO phonetic alphabet, X-ray represents the letter X. An X-ray picture (radiograph) taken by Röntgen An X-ray is a form of electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength approximately in the range of 5 pm to 10 nanometers (corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 PHz... Wilhelm Röntgen Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (* March 27, 1845; † February 10, 1923) was a German physicist, of the University of Würzburg, who, on November 8, 1895, produced wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation that are now known as x-rays. ... The cathode ray tube or CRT, invented by Karl Ferdinand Braun, is the display device used in most computer displays, televisions and oscilloscopes. ... Fluorescence induced by exposure to ultraviolet light in vials containing various sized cadmium selenide (CdSe) quantum dots. ... Electromagnetism is the physics of the electromagnetic field: a field which exerts a force on particles that possess the property of electric charge, and is in turn affected by the presence and motion of those particles. ... Hans Christian Ørsted Hans Christian Ørsted (August 14, 1777 in Rudkøbing – March 9, 1851 in Copenhagen) was a Danish physicist and chemist, influenced by the thinking of Immanuel Kant. ... Compass in a wooden box A compass (or mariners compass) is a navigational instrument for finding directions on the Earth. ... Electric current is the flow (movement) of electric charge. ... A Pair of AA Energizer Alkaline Cells Symbols representing a single Cell (top) and Battery (bottom), used in circuit diagrams. ... It has been suggested that Radio pulsar be merged into this article or section. ... Antony Hewish (born Fowey, Cornwall, May 11, 1924) is a British radio astronomer who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1974 (together with fellow radio-astronomer Martin Ryle) for his work on the development of radio aperture synthesis and its role in the discovery of pulsars. ... S. Jocelyn Bell Burnell, CBE, FRS FRAS (born Susan Jocelyn Bell, 15 July 1943), is a Northern Irish astrophysicist who discovered the first radio pulsars with her thesis advisor Antony Hewish. ... This article is about the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence. ... NGC 4414, a typical spiral galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices, is about 17,000 parsecs in diameter and approximately 20 million parsecs distant. ... STAR is an acronym for: Organizations Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers], the self-regulatory body for the entertainment ticket industry in the UK. Society for Telescopy, Astronomy, and Radio, a non-profit New Jersey astronomy club. ... In astronomy, gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are flashes of gamma rays that last from seconds to hours, the longer ones being followed by several days of X-ray afterglow. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... Vela may refer to: poopheaads and peefaces Project Vela, a system developed by the United States to monitor compliance with the Partial Test Ban Treaty Vela (satellite), a series of satellites launched by the United States to monitor nuclear testing Vela Incident - An international incident, in which a Vela satellite... An Earth observation satellite, ERS 2 For other uses, see Satellite (disambiguation). ... A nuclear test explosion is an experiment involving the detonation of a nuclear weapon. ... // Metallic hydrogen results when hydrogen is sufficiently compressed and undergoes a phase change; it is an example of degenerate matter. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Aerial view of the lab and surrounding area. ... The Peltier–Seebeck effect, or thermoelectric effect, is the direct conversion of heat differentials to electric voltage and vice versa. ... Thomas Johann Seebeck (April 9, 1770 - December 10, 1831) was a physicist who in 1821 discovered the thermoelectric effect. ... Year 1821 (MDCCCXXI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... International safety symbol Caution, risk of electric shock (ISO 3864), colloquially known as high voltage symbol. ... Hot metal work from a blacksmith In chemistry, a metal (Greek: Metallon) is an element that readily loses electrons to form positive ions (cations) and has metallic bonds between metal atoms. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Adjectives: Plutonian Atmosphere Surface pressure: 0. ... Charon (shair-É™n or kair-É™n (key), IPA , Greek Χάρων), discovered in 1978, is, depending on the definition employed, either the largest moon of Pluto or one member of a double dwarf planet with Pluto being the other member. ... James Walter Christy (born 1938) is an American astronomer. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ...

Inventions

• Discovery of the principle behind inkjet printers by a Canon engineer. After putting his hot soldering iron by accident on his pen, ink was ejected from the pen's point a few moments later.
• Vulcanization of rubber, by Charles Goodyear. A piece of rubber mixture with sulfur was accidentally left by him on a hot plate, producing hard rubber
• The popsicle came as a commercial idea when Frank Epperson left a glass of soda water outside during the winter, and got a cylindrical block of ice with the stirring stick to hold it.
• Safety glass, by French scientist Edouard Benedictus. In 1903 he accidentally knocked a glass flask to the floor and observed that the broken pieces were held together by a liquid plastic that had evaporated and formed a thin film inside the flask.
• The Ivory-brand handsoap had its unique water floating properties discovered at Procter & Gamble soap factory when an absent-minded worker left the mixing machine run for too long, introducing air bubbles into the soap bar, and customers asked for more of it.
• Post-it Notes by Spencer Silver and Arthur Fry. They tried to develop a new glue at 3M, but it would not dry. So they devised a new use for it.
• Corn flakes and wheat flakes (Wheaties) were accidentally discovered by the Kellogs brothers in 1898, when they left cooked wheat untended for a day and tried to roll the mass, obtaining a flaky material instead of a sheet.
• The microwave oven was invented by Percy Spencer while testing a magnetron for radar sets at Raytheon, he noticed that a peanut candy bar in his pocket had melted when exposed to radar waves.
• Pyroceramic (used to make Corningware, among other things) was invented by S. Donald Stookey, a chemist working for the Corning company, who noticed crystallization in an improperly cooled batch of tinted glass.

Ink jet printers are the most common type of computer printer; and industry and commerce also use them extensively for special-purpose applications. ... Canon Inc. ... Using a soldering iron. ... Vulcanization refers to a specific curing process of rubber involving high heat and the addition of sulfur. ... Latex being collected from a tapped rubber tree Rubber is an elastic hydrocarbon polymer which occurs as a milky colloidal suspension (known as latex) in the sap of several varieties of plants. ... Charles Goodyear, as illustrated in an 1891 Scientific American article Charles Spencer Goodyear (December 29, 1800 - July 1, 1860) was the first American to vulcanize rubber, a process which he discovered in 1839 and patented on June 15, 1844. ... General Name, Symbol, Number sulfur, S, 16 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 16, 3, p Appearance lemon yellow Standard atomic weight 32. ... Popsicle logo Popsicle is the most popular brand name in the U.S. and Canada for a brand of ice pop. ... Frank Epperson was 11 years old when he invented the Popsicle in 1905. ... Bubbles in carbonated water float to the surface. ... The materials definition of a glass is a uniform amorphous solid material, usually produced when a suitably viscous molten material cools very rapidly, thereby not giving enough time for a regular crystal lattice to form. ... 1900 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Friday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Ivory, a white and mildly fragranced bar soap, is a product of the Procter & Gamble Company. ... Procter & Gamble Co. ... A pad of fan-folded Post-it pop-up notes, shown still glued together A Post-it note (or simply Post-it), invented and manufactured by 3M, is a piece of stationery with a re-adherable strip of adhesive on the back, designed for temporarily attaching notes to documents, computer... Spencer Silver (born in 1941 in San Antonio, Texas) invented Post-it note papers along with Arthur Fry in 1970. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... Cornflakes in a bowl Corn flakes are a popular breakfast cereal manufactured by Kelloggs through the treatment of corn. ... For other things with Kellogg in the name, see Kellogg (disambiguation). ... Year 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Species T. aestivum T. boeoticum T. compactum T. dicoccoides T. dicoccon T. durum T. monococcum T. spelta T. sphaerococcum T. timopheevii References:   ITIS 42236 2002-09-22 For the indie rock group see: Wheat (band). ... It has been suggested that this article be split into articles entitled Microwave oven and Microwave heating. ... A cavity magnetron is a high-powered vacuum tube that generates coherent microwaves. ... This long range radar antenna, known as ALTAIR, is used to detect and track space objects in conjunction with ABM testing at the Ronald Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein atoll. ... Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) is a major United States military contractor based in Waltham, Massachusetts. ... Binomial name L. This article is about the legume. ... Corningware is a brand of tempered glass and ceramic dishes made by Corning Glass Works. ... Stanley Donald Stookey (born 23 May 1915 Hay Springs, Nebraska,USA - ) Created the first glass-ceramic Pyroceram for Corning Glass Works where he worked as a researcher. ... Frost crystallization on a shrub. ...

Serendipitous ideas

Some ideas and concepts that came to scientists through accidents or even dreams are also considered a kind of serendipity. Some examples (coincidentally all are regarded with suspicion by science historians):

• Isaac Newton's famed apple falling from a tree, led to his musings about the nature of gravitation
• The German chemist Friedrich August Kekulé von Stradonitz dreamed about Ourobouros, a snake running around and forming a circle, leading to his solution of the closed chemical structure of cyclic compounds, such as benzene
• Archimedes' prototypical cry of Eureka when he made an analogy of specific gravity with his body displacing water in the bathtub

Sir Isaac Newton (4 January 1643 – 31 March 1727) [ OS: 25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726][1] was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, and alchemist. ... Binomial name Borkh. ... “Gravity” redirects here. ... Friedrich August Kekulé von Stradonitz Friedrich August Kekulé von Stradonitz (September 7, 1829 – July 13, 1896) was a German organic chemist. ... “Dreams” redirects here. ... The Ouroboros Alternate spellings: Oroborus, Uroboros, Uroborus The Ouroboros is an ancient symbol depicting a snake or dragon swallowing its tail, constantly creating itself and forming a circle. ... blue: sea snakes, black: land snakes Superfamilies and Families Henophidia Aniliidae Anomochilidae Boidae Bolyeriidae Cylindrophiidae Loxocemidae Pythonidae Tropidophiidae Uropeltidae Xenopeltidae Typhlopoidea Anomalepididae Leptotyphlopidae Typhlopidae Xenophidia Acrochordidae Atractaspididae Colubridae Elapidae Hydrophiidae Viperidae A snake is a scaly, limbless, elongate reptile from the order Squamata. ... In organic chemistry, a cyclic organic compound is one in which a series of carbon atoms are connected together to form a loop or ring. ... Benzene is an organic chemical compound with the formula C6H6. ... Archimedes of Syracuse (Greek: c. ... Eureka (Eureka!, or Heureka; Greek (later ); IPA: (modern Greek), (ancient Greek, both former and later forms), Anglicised as ) is a famous exclamation attributed to Archimedes. ... Relative density (also known as specific gravity) is a measure of the density of a material. ...

Other examples of serendipity

Stories of accidental discovery in exploration abound, of course, because the aim of exploration is to find new things and places. The principle of serendipity applies here, however, when the explorer had an aim in mind and found another unexpectedly. Some classical cases were: Exploration is the act of searching or traveling for the purpose of discovery, e. ...

• The first European to set foot on North America was Leif Ericsson, who was trying to escape from a storm
• The discovery of an entirely new continent by Christopher Columbus, who was actually looking for a new way to India
• South America was also discovered by accident, first by Spaniard Vicente Pinzon, who was only exploring the West Indies previously discovered by him and Columbus, and stumbled upon Northeast of Brazil, in the region now known as Cabo de Santo Agostinho, in the state of Pernambuco. He also discovered the Amazon and Oiapoque rivers; and Pedro Álvares Cabral, a Portuguese admiral, who was sailing with his fleet to India via the South African route discovered by Vasco da Gama and was deviated to the coast of Brazil.

North America North America is a continent [1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... A statue of Leif Ericson in front of the Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavik Leif Ericson (old Icelandic: Leifr Eiríksson) was an explorer, the son of Eric the Red (Eiríkr rauði), a Norwegian outlaw, who was the son of another Norwegian outlaw, Þorvaldr Ásvaldsson. ... A shelf cloud associated with a heavy or severe thunderstorm over Enschede, Netherlands A storm is any disturbed state of an astronomical bodys atmosphere, especially affecting its surface, and strongly implying severe weather. ... Animated, colour-coded map showing the various continents. ... Christopher Columbus (1451 – May 20, 1506) was a navigator and maritime explorer credited as the discoverer of the Americas. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Vicente Yáñez Pinzón (c. ... The Caribbean or the West Indies is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. ... Cabo de Santo Agostinho is 40 km south of the city of Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. ... Flag of Pernambuco See other Brazilian States Capital Recife Largest City Recife Area 98,281 km² Population   - Total   - Density 7,918,344 80. ... This article is about the river. ... Oiapoque is a municipality in the state of Amapá, Brazil and a major river in the same state, forming the international border with French Guiana. ... Pedro Álvares Cabral. ... For other uses, see Admiral (disambiguation). ... Vasco da Gama Dom Vasco da Gama, 1st count da Vidigueira (IPA: (Sines or Vidigueira, Alentejo, Portugal, ca. ...

Uses of serendipity

Serendipity is used as a sociological method in Anselm L. Strauss' and Barney G. Glaser's Grounded Theory, building on ideas by sociologist Robert K. Merton, who in Social Theory and Social Structure (1949) referred to the "serendipity pattern" as the fairly common experience of observing an unanticipated, anomalous and strategic datum which becomes the occasion for developing a new theory or for extending an existing theory. Robert K. Merton also coauthored (with Elinor Barber) The Travels and Adventures of Serendipity (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2003), which traces the origins and uses of the word "serendipity" since it was coined. The book is "a study in sociological semantics and the sociology of science", as the subtitle of the book declares. It further develops the idea of serendipity as scientific "method" (as juxtaposed with purposeful discovery by experiment or retrospective prophecy). This article or section includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Anselm L. Strauss (December 18, 1916_September 5, 1996) was a sociologist, who worked the field of medical sociology. ... Barney G. Glaser (born 1930), American sociologist and one of the founders of the grounded theory methodology. ... Grounded theory (GT) is a general research method (most often associated with qualitative research) for social sciences developed by the sociologists Barney Glaser (b. ... Editing Robert K. Merton This article is about the sociologist. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... Editing Robert K. Merton This article is about the sociologist. ...

The short story "Sortilege and Serendipity" by Brian Stableford, set in the Midnight Rose Temps shared universe, defines "serendipity" as a paranormal talent; a form of divination which enables the Talent to find things or people, provided they are not actually looking for them. It contrasts with "sortilege", which is conscious divination. Brian Stableford (born July 25, 1948) is a British science fiction writer who has published more than 50 novels. ... Midnight Rose was a name taken by a group of United Kingdom science fiction and fantasy writers for a series of shared world anthologies published by the Penguin Books imprint Roc. ... A shared universe is a literary technique in which several different authors create works of fiction that share aspects such as settings or characters and that are intended to be read as taking place in a single universe. ... This article is about the religious practice of divination. ... Cleromancy, sortilege, casting lots or casting bones is a form of divination in which stuff is thrown randomly on the ground, and the resulting patterns or forms are interpreted to tell the future. ...

The exact meaning of serendipity

There are three interrelated debates regarding the meaning of the word serendipity:^{[citation needed]}

• The first debate: are the events referred to by Walpole in his letter to Mann, good examples of serendipity, as defined by Walpole? Expanding on this debate, are any of the adventures of the Three Princes, good examples of Walpole's definition of serendipity?
• The second debate: if the examples of serendipity cited by Walpole are not good examples of serendipity, what should determine the meaning of the word serendipity, Walpole's precise definition, or a definition derived from the adventures of the Three Princes?
• The third debate: given the range of current definitions for the word serendipity, from Walpole's precise or strict definition to extremely loose definitions, what events should be cited as actual occurrences of serendipity?

Quotations on serendipity

• "In the field of observation, chance favors only the prepared mind." Louis Pasteur
• "Serendipity. Look for something, find something else, and realize that what you've found is more suited to your needs than what you thought you were looking for." Lawrence Block
• "The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!', but 'That's funny …'" Isaac Asimov
• "In reality, serendipity accounts for one percent of the blessings we receive in life, work and love. The other 99 percent is due to our efforts." Peter McWilliams
• "Serendipity is looking in a haystack for a needle and discovering a farmer's daughter." Julius Comroe Jr.
• "Serendipity is putting a quarter in the gumball machine and having three pieces come rattling out instead of one—all red." Peter H. Reynolds
• "--- you don't reach Serendib by plotting a course for it. You have to set out in good faith for elsewhere and lose your bearings ... serendipitously." John Barth, The Last Voyage of Somebody the Sailor
• "Serendipity is the art of making an unsought finding." Pek van Andel (1994)

Louis Pasteur (December 27, 1822 – September 28, 1895) was a French chemist best known for his remarkable breakthroughs in microbiology. ... For the U.S. federal judge, see Lawrence J. Block. ... Isaac Asimov (January 2?, 1920?[1] – April 6, 1992), IPA: , originally Исаак Озимов but now transcribed into Russian as Айзек Азимов) was a Russian-born American Jewish author and professor of biochemistry, a highly successful and exceptionally prolific writer best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. ... Peter Alexander McWilliams (August 5, 1949 - June 14, 2000) was a writer and cannabis activist. ... John Simmons Barth (born May 27, 1930) is an American novelist and short-story writer, known for the postmodernist and metafictive quality of his work. ...

Trivia

• Serendip is the old Persian name for Sri Lanka.

• The episode in the story is a case of abductive reasoning (as used by the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes), which later leads to unsought "serendipitous" rewards from the king.

• The word 'serendipity' has been voted as one of the ten English words that were hardest to translate in June 2004 by a British translation company. However, due to its sociological use, the word has been imported into many other languages (Portuguese serendipicidade or serendipidade; French sérendipicité or sérendipité but also heureux hasard, "fortunate chance"; Spanish serendipia; Italian serendipità; Dutch serendipiteit; German Serendipität; Swedish, Danish and Norwegian serendipitet; Romanian serendipitate).

• The 2002 movie entitled "Serendipity" (Kate Beckinsale, John Cusak) revolves around two people who fall in love in "a series of fortunate accidents"

• The 1999 Kevin Smith movie, Dogma has a muse character with the name Serendipity. (Played by Salma Hayek)

• The 2002 story "Discovering Serendipity" (Written by Misha Vara)

explains how Serendipity applies to the everyday's activities. This story tells how two people from different sides of Earth find each other in a new fantastic world, learning what Serendipity is about. She refers to it by being written by the same force that bumped with her since she was four years old. "Serendipity wrote this fantastic story, I was only the media to put it into paper". Abduction, or inference to the best explanation, is a method of reasoning in which one chooses the hypothesis which would, if true, best explain the relevant evidence. ... A portrait of Sherlock Holmes by Sidney Paget from the Strand Magazine, 1891 Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, who first appeared in publication in 1887. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Untranslatability. ...

Related terms

William Boyd coined the term zemblanity to mean somewhat the opposite of serendipity: "making unhappy, unlucky and expected discoveries occurring by design".^[2] It derives from Novaya Zemlya (or Nova Zembla), a cold, barren land with many features opposite to the lush Sri Lanka (Serendip). On this island Willem Barents and his crew were stranded while searching for a new route to the east. William Boyd, CBE (born 7 March 1952 in Accra, Ghana) is a contemporary Scottish novelist and screenwriter. ... Novaya Zemlya (Russian: , lit. ... Willem Barents. ...

Bahramdipity is derived directly from Bahram Gur as characterized in the "Three Princes of Serendip". It describes the suppression of serendipitous discoveries or research results by powerful individuals.^[3]

Bibliography

• Theodore G. Remer, Ed.: Serendipity and the Three Princes, from the Peregrinaggio of 1557, Edited, with an Introduction and Notes, by Theodore G. Remer, Preface by W.S. Lewis. University of Oklahoma Press, 1965. LCC 65-10112
• Robert K. Merton, Elinor Barber: The Travels and Adventures of Serendipity: A Study in Sociological Semantics and the Sociology of Science. Princeton University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-691-11754-3. (Manuscript written 1958).
• Patrick J. Hannan: Serendipity, Luck and Wisdom in Research. iUniverse, 2006. ISBN 0-595-36551-5
• Royston M. Roberts: Serendipity: Accidental Discoveries in Science. Wiley, 1989. ISBN 0-471-60203-5
• Pek Van Andel: "Anatomy of the unsought finding : serendipity: origin, history, domains, traditions, appearances, patterns and programmability." British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 1994, 45(2), 631-648.

References

1. ^ As given by W.S. Lewis, ed., Horace Walpole's Correspondence, Yale edition, in the book by Theodore G. Remer, ed.: Serendipity and the Three Princes, from the Peregrinaggio of 1557, Edited, with an Introduction and Notes, by Theodore G. Remer, Preface by W.S. Lewis. University of Oklahoma Press, 1965. LCC 65-10112
2. ^ Boyd, William. Armadillo, Chapter 12, Knopf, New York, 1998. ISBN 0-375-40223-3
3. ^ (a) Sommer, Toby J. "'Bahramdipity' and Scientific Research", The Scientist, 1999, 13(3), 13.
   (b) Sommer, Toby J. "Bahramdipity and Nulltiple Scientific Discoveries," Science and Engineering Ethics, 2001, 7(1), 77-104.

Colophon of the publisher Alfred A. Knopf. ...

See also

• Synchronicity

Synchronicity is the experience of two or more events which occur in a meaningful manner, but which are causally inexplicable to the person or persons experiencing them. ...

External links

• Polymers & Serendipity: Case Studies -- rayon, nylon, and more examples in chemistry
• Max - A software agent built to induce serendipity.
• Social Serendipity - MIT Media Lab project using mobile phones for social matchmaking
• The Three Princes of Serendip – one version of the story.
• Serendip - a website continually evolving using the principles of serendipity
• Serendipity Blog - an open source blogging script
• Serendipity and the Internet from Bill Thompson at the BBC
• Accidental discoveries. PBS
• Serendipity of Science - a BBC 4 Radio series by Simon Singh
• Top Ten: Accidental discoveries. Discovery Channel Explore your World.