December 10, 2024

Spotlight On: Serendipity in Science

petri dish with mold

French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur once said, “In the fields of observation, chance favors only the mind which is prepared.” Although most scientific breakthroughs happen through hypothesis-driven experimental approaches, some discoveries are more happenstance. This article describes scientific discoveries or inventions that were not the original goal or expected outcome of the scientific effort at the time. As students learn about how science works, they can be engaged by examples of how science can take researchers down a completely different path than originally intended.

Keep reading to learn what happened when a scientist: 

  • Followed their curiosity while looking at something else
  • Made a mistake that led to interesting new understanding (i.e., a “happy accident”)
  • Employed a new perspective to see the helpful potential in something others viewed as a problem
  • Advanced their work through the help of others 


Attentive Curiosity 

Sometimes, scientific experiments produce unexpected, maybe even unrelated, results. Because of this, scientists should stay curious and be prepared to investigate wherever the science leads. Historically, scientists have shown that this can result in new areas of research for themselves and life-changing products for society. For example, you may have the product of one of these situations in your own home – the microwave oven. Engineer Percy Spencer was testing a magnetron, a device that uses a vacuum tube, electrons and magnetic fields to convert electric currents to microwave signals. When Spencer did his work, the magnetron was used for radar systems, and Spencer’s experience and expertise led to a role improving combat radar systems during World War II. He was later awarded the Distinguished Public Service award for these efforts. However, it was while doing this work that Spencer followed his curiosity, leading to his invention of the microwave oven. Specifically, Spencer noticed that a candy bar in his pocket had melted. While others had also noticed this phenomenon, it was Spencer who sought to understand why the candy bar melted. He started experimenting with other items, including eggs and popcorn kernels. Through this process, Spencer realized that what he was seeing was a new way to cook foods using microwave energy. The first microwave ovens were developed soon thereafter.  

Other examples of scientists following their results to unexpected conclusions include the development of Teflon™, X-rays, and saccharin, the artificial sweetener used in Sweet‘N Low®.

Happy Accidents 

“One sometimes finds what one is not looking for. When I woke up … I certainly didn't plan to revolutionize all medicine.” –Alexander Fleming

Accidents happen, but mistakes can also lead to new discoveries. Sir Alexander Fleming, a professor of bacteriology, offers us a good example. Fleming was studying the growth patterns of a bacteria known as Staphylococcus. At one point, he took a vacation but forgot to properly store the petri dishes, leaving them out on the table while he was away. When Fleming returned, he found that a mold had invaded his cultures and, to his chagrin, the mold was preventing his samples from growing. While trying to salvage his work, Fleming realized that there may be medicinal potential for the liquid produced by this mold since it stopped the growth of bacteria. Although it would take more than 10 years to develop penicillin for clinical use, this effective antibiotic has been in use ever since Fleming’s happy accident.

Additional examples of accidental discoveries include safety glass (glass that is difficult to break and less likely to hurt someone when it does), and the pacemaker. 

New Perspectives 

A shift in perspective can also uncover solutions; some of which may have been hiding in plain sight. For example, when engineer George de Mestral returned from a hike, he noticed that both he and his dog were covered in burrs, a type of seed covered with tiny hooks on its surface. Because of these small hooks, the little seeds could easily stick to fur and clothes, and much to de Mestral’s surprise, when they stuck, they provided a firm grip. Although initially an annoyance, the experience inspired de Mestral to try to imitate how the burr worked to develop a new type of fastener, one that could connect two pieces of material using a “hook-and-loop” mechanism. His efforts resulted in the product we know today as VELCRO®.

Other examples of problems developed into solutions include Vaseline® and blood thinners.

Helping Hands 

Collaboration is central to science. Indeed, scientists often describe “standing on the shoulders of giants.” While most often these “giants” are colleagues studying in the same field of science. However, discoveries in other areas can also spur progress. For example, Maurice Hilleman benefited from the new field of genetic engineering to create a second hepatitis B vaccine when his first one suffered acceptance due to the starting material used (human blood). Another example began in 1889 when two doctors, Oscar Minkowski and Josef von Mering, were studying how the pancreas affected digestion. As part of their work, they removed the pancreas from a healthy dog. Soon after, they realized the animal had developed diabetes. While these researchers never pinpointed how the pancreas regulates blood sugar, their findings laid the groundwork for researchers, Frederick Banting, Charles Best, J.B. Collip and John Macleod, at the University of Toronto to isolate and refine insulin 30 years later.

Other examples of building on someone else’s work to create a novel solution or product, include Post-it® Notes and Play-Doh. 

In sum

In these examples, the discovery or breakthrough resulted from some critical characteristics of scientists, including being observant, staying curious, keeping an open mind, persevering, and collaborating with others. By sharing the history of discoveries with students, they can not only learn more about how science works, but they can also consider how unplanned paths may lead to success in unexpected ways.


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