Searching the sea, and bacterial battles, for new antibiotics
(PHYSorg.com Chemistry)

Alexander Fleming`s discovery of penicillin-the world`s first natural antibiotic-is famously told as a story of serendipity: a petri dish growing bacteria was contaminated by mold, which secreted a substance to keep bacteria at bay. The lesson learned was that science can take advantage of chance encounters to change the world.