One of the single greatest leaps forward in human healthcare happened because of an accident in a laboratory. This serendipitous event was the result of a summer vacation in Scotland and an unattended experiment. Dr. Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, one of the first antibiotics, in 1928 when he noticed that mold had gotten into a petri dish and it had prevented bacteria from growing. This book explores Fleming's accidental discovery, the science behind antibiotics, and the dawn of the era of antibiotics.

How can medicine that tastes like bubble gum make you feel better so quickly? It has penicillin in it--an antibiotic that helps treat bacterial infections. But we wouldn't have the drug without the work of Alexander Fleming. With historical images and details about key events before and after his discovery, this book will help kids understand the lifesaving impact of penicillin on the practice of medicine. Uncover the details of events that changed your world in this Pebble Explore series.

Travel through history and around the world to learn about the greatest mistakes, blunders, and bloopers of all time! Everyone makes mistakes and nearly everyone likes to know about them, especially when made by someone else! The Worst Blunders of All Time: Shocking Tales from Pandora's Box to Putin's Invasion presents some of our most notable blunders, from the silly to the consequential, from ancient history to current events. It offers the pleasure of Schadenfreude and of an easy-going reading experience, as well as—here and there—some learning opportunities. The reader will see when relatively big things have gone wrong and couldn’t be called back, such as iconic, mythical blunders like Pandora opening that troublesome box and Eve taking her ill-advised bite, to great historical oops such as Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812, as well as some less monumental but nonetheless exemplary mistakes, such as the “Curse of the Bambino,” when the Boston Red Sox sold Babe Ruth—at the time, a pitcher—to the New York Yankees. These and other exemplary oops are presented in a light-hearted way, with some exceptions being catastrophic, current catastrophes, such as Trump’s egregious mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Author David P. Barash will take readers from the tragic to the whimsical, with the latter represented by, for example, “Wrong Way Corrigan,” an early twentieth century aviator who thought he was flying nonstop from New York to California, but, confused by a heavy fog, ended up in Ireland. Pointing out these and other mistakes will be an exercise in Monday morning quarterbacking and 20-20 hindsight. Thus, The Worst Blunders of All Time shall “backstrapolate”: looking in the rear-view mirror at mistakes made by others. The Worst Blunders of All Time is neither an advice book nor a series of cautionary tales. It’s an easy and accessible read, especially useful as therapy in these difficult times. However, its nonetheless accurate and informative, giving rise to some potentially useful take-home messages, keyed to its material. Ideally, we should all benefit from our own mistakes, making lemonade out of lemons, while also following Eleanor Roosevelt’s advice: “Learn from the mistakes of others. You cannot live long enough to make them all yourself.”

See some of the world's most messed-up medical mishaps at a microscopic level. Find out how each procedure, tool, or surgery failed, the basic science that was missed, and what doctors learned from their mistakes.

" Merlin, a blind-from-birth Sheltie rescues his young friend after the pup falls into a rushing creek. Captain, a miniature mule, is a master escape artist. A cat and a Sheltie combine their litters and share feeding and babysitting duties. My off-and-on telepathic ability alerts me to injured animals. The Sheltie, Country Bumpkin and a large mama skunk become best friends. Ahltair, an Arabian stallion has an imaginary playmate that bites him. Our familys story unfolds as the humor, triumphs and tragedies of many unique animals lives are told."

IS THERE A MAP OF 12,000 YEAR-OLD CITIES, OR A MAYAN STYLE CALENDAR OF THE END OF DAYS In the most CONTROVERSIAL BOOK OF ALL TIME? YES, THERE IS! NOW you, too, will know...THE ULTIMATE ANSWER! The Mayan Calendar called it Blackened Earth; the ancient texts called it...Armageddon! So many have died...the brutal murders in France, the torture of a young Testari mother, has it been for nothing after 6000 years? The sacrifices have been too great; too many of the great minds have been lost while the true Guardians of Knowledge have protected the ultimate truth. Will they succeed before the Nahasha find them?

A book to empower readers to continue exploring, imagining and discovering what science is all about.