Chemistry vs. bacteria, # 17. The Oxford team
Eventually, a team of Oxford University succeeds in the production and purification of penicillin. But a strange team it is; it never grows into some kind of unity. It consists of Ernst Chain, Howard Florey, Norman Heatley, Margaret Jennings and Edward Abraham. Their research is their only point in common. Several books have described in
Chemistry vs. antibiotics, # 15. Historic antibacterial agents
We always learned that Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin; but penicillin-like substances have been used in medicine throughout the ages. In fact, we might use these historic practices as a source of inspiration for new therapies. Particularly in order to overcome resistance, the problem that 100 years of use of antibacterial agents have demonstrated to us
Chemistry vs. bacteria, # 14. Riddles and coincidence
What then caused the penicillin mould to arrive in Alexander Fleming’s petri dish? And why were conditions exactly right at that moment for killing the staphylococci? Even today we don’t have clear answers to those questions. One of the causes of the mystery is that many researchers couldn’t reproduce Fleming’s discovery. Project ‘100 years of
The power of subtlety
Mankind has become cleverer all the time. Cleverness that manifests itself in subtlety: in order to arrive at a desired goal, we need less and less energy and resources. Fortunately so, because our planet can hardly sustain our growing wealth. We even need to become cleverer and more subtle. Smaller is better This movement towards
The 100 year war between chemistry and bacteria, in 100 episodes
As soon as World War I had ended, research on infections soared. There was pressure to come up with results, much pressure. Bacterial infections had been responsible for most casualties in the muddy trenches. In the previous decades, researchers had isolated and characterized many of those bacteria. Chemistry and chemical industry developed several lines of
A strategy to reduce animal tests
Animal tests are a controversial issue. On the one hand, many people object to actions that deliberately damage animal welfare. On the other hand, we need these tests in order to establish the safety of medicines and new materials; people demand such safety. But new scientific discoveries might turn the tide. In the Netherlands, the
There is no such thing as an individual
Modern biologists are waging a fierce debate on the meaning of the concept of the individual. Definitions of well-known phenomena like symbiosis and parasitism need to be rephrased. The debate goes beyond the world of plants and micro-organisms; the subject of the discussion includes mammals and therefore also mankind. We know for a long time
Pitfalls in nuclear energy risk analysis
Ten years ago, last month, a tsunami struck the West coast of Japan. It flooded the Fukushima nuclear reactor. This resulted in a partial meltdown and a hydrogen explosion, that released a lot of radioactivity. The media devoted many articles to this anniversary. The Conversation raised the question: in hindsight, were events really as bad
on: 5 April 2021