Serendipity And Science

S ERENDIPITY A ND S CIENCE .ROHINI

MISRA

In the history of human scientific progress chance discoveries have played a major role. But the chance finds have always succeeded in hogging the limelight only when followed by careful and systematic scientific analysis. What does the discovery of America, penicillin and vulcanized rubber have in common? They were all the result of serendipity. Serendipi.....What? Serendipity is defined as the ‘ability of making fortunate and unexpected discoveries by accident’. This term has an interesting origin. It was coined in 1754, by an English novelist—Horace Walpole. Horace enjoyed foraging through reference works for information, and once chanced upon what he called ‘an exotic fairy tale’ that caught his imagination. It was a story about the three Princes of Serendip who were highly trained in arts and sciences. (Serendip or Serendib was the anglicized version of Swarnadweepa, the old name for Sri Lanka). The three Princes were privileged individuals not only gifted by their noble origin but also endowed with a unique talent: the gift of casual discovery. These three individuals were able to find answers to questions or mysteries they were not in search off. Thanks to their natural sagacity they would solve unexpected dilemmas. Stopping at an inn one evening, they met a distraught man who had lost his camel. Although the three princes had not seen the camel, they asked the camel driver if the lost camel was blind in one eye, missing a tooth, and lame. This description was based on signs they had observed along their way. They also deduced that it probably carried a load of butter on one side and honey on the other, and was ridden by a pregnant woman. After this detailed description of the camel, the camel driver was convinced that the three princes had stolen his camel, and they were imprisoned. Later on, when the camel was found, the princes were released. Horace must have found the gift of the three princes’ sublime. Though quite difficult to describe, he invented an expressive little word for their unique gift – SERENDIPITY.

Keep That Mind Open In examining many of science’s most famous moments, serendipity has played a crucial role and we owe a debt to serendipity for some of the greatest discoveries in science. However, one needs to be aware that many of the principal beneficiaries of serendipity ‘clearly recognized’ the difference between an accident and an accidental discovery. In this context, Louis Pasteur put forth the famous quote, "in the field of observation, chance favors only the prepared mind". Science is replete with instances of serendipity. What is common in all these cases is their apparent triviality, and it is precisely this that accounts for most people’s failure to see them. An article in a 1935 issue of the Journal of Bacteriology suggests that the capacity to spot the significance of such trivial things is one of the features that differentiate the mind of a skilled scientist from that of a novice.

When Serendipity Strikes

Focusing on some serendipitous discoveries will help us realize how planned insights coupled with unplanned events and open mindedness can yield meaningful and interesting discovery in research. For instance, the man whose name graces a thousand tyres—Charles Goodyear— worked out how to get Rubber from an awkward material that melted in warm weather, when he accidentally dropped a piece on a stove. And thus began an age in which natural substances could be altered through industrial processes. Continuing the rubber theme, the artificial rubber Neoprene was also a serendipitous find made when a lab assistant left a chemical impurity in a test-tube over a weekend. A week and half later, in the same laboratory, the first artificial fiber was created, also by accident by the scientist in charge, Wallace Carrothers—a development that lead to Nylon. In yet another incidence in the early 1950s, George de Mestral while returning home after a walk in the countryside in Switzerland, noticed that his coat was covered with cockleburs. As he tried to pick them off, he wondered why they were so sticky. In search of an answer, he with the help of a microscope discovered that cockleburs are covered with hooks that became embedded in the loops of the fabric. This knowledge of the cockleburs spawned development of a product known as Velcro (derived from velvet and crochet). In another incidence, Jim Schlatter, a researcher at a pharmaceutical firm while researching ulcer cures in 1965, combined two amino acids, normally a bitter tasting concoction. Schlatter had some of the powder on his fingers one day and, before turning a page in a book, licked one of his fingers to get a better grip on the paper. It was a Eureka moment because the powder tasted intensely sweet. Schlatter knew he was on to something big because the powder, now known as Aspartame, is used by the human body as a protein and lacks the high caloric punch of sugar. Seventeen years of medical studies on Aspartame followed before the substance was released on the U.S. marketplace as the calorie free sweetener, Equal. Microwaves are now an essential household item, but only a handful of us know the story behind its development. In 1946, Percy Spencer, an engineer and inventor, who held more than 120 patents, was conducting radar-related research. While testing a new type of vacuum tube—the magnetron—he noticed that a chocolate bar he had been carrying in his pocket had melted. Intrigued, Spencer began conducting more experiments. He watched popcorn "pop" and bounce around the room when he held a bag of uncooked kernels up to the tube. Next, Spencer observed a raw egg placed next to the magnetron explode from the pressure that had built up inside. Spencer concluded that each of the items had "cooked" when exposed to lowdensity microwave energy emitted by the magnetron. Raytheon engineers quickly adapted his discovery, and the first commercial microwave oven, the "Radarange," began its move into household kitchens the following year. In the fields of medicine and pharmacology and in particular the discovery of new drugs, serendipity abounds. Penicillin, aspirin, chlorpromazine, quinine, cisplatin, retin-A and viagra represent a fraction of the drugs discovered while researchers were conducting research in totally unrelated fields. Few of us know that Botox, now famous for its role in cosmetic enhancements, was also a serendipitous discovery and that its use started over pillow talk between two married physicians. Jean Carruthers, a Canadian ophthalmologist, was treating a patient

in 1987 for a rare eye disorder known as blepharospasm, which causes excessive blinking of the eyes and, in some, causes the eyelids to slam shut. Dr. Carruthers treated the woman with Botox, a then largely unknown substance that reduces activity in overactive muscles by blocking nerve impulses. It was a seemingly unlikely use of the botulinum toxin, which in purest form, is the deadliest toxin known to science. However, tiny amounts worked well to halt the patient’s debilitating eye disorder. But, even with no symptoms, the patient kept coming back to Dr. Carruthers’ office, telling the doctor that each time she received a Botox injection, the wrinkles between her brows seemed to disappear, and the patient actually thought she looked younger. Because Jean’s husband, Alastair, was a dermatologist, he found the story of the blepharospasm patient fascinating and looked further into how Botox could be used to enhance people’s appearance. It was there, over pillow talk, that one of the world’s most popular drugs was discovered. In 1889, German physicians Joseph von Mering and Oscar Minkowski removed the pancreas from a healthy dog in order to study the role of the pancreas in digestion. Several days after the dog's pancreas was removed, the doctors happened to notice a swarm of flies feeding on a puddle of the dog's urine. On testing the urine to determine the cause of the flies' attraction, the doctors realized that the dog was secreting sugar in its urine, a sign of diabetes. Because the dog had been healthy prior to the surgery, the doctors knew that they had created its diabetic condition by removing its pancreas and thus understood for the first time the relationship between the pancreas and Diabetes. One of the most amazing accidental discoveries in science has been the invention of Dynamite by Swedish scientist Alfred Nobel in 1873. The invention was also fortuitous because it led to the creation of today’s Nobel Prizes. It happened when Nobel was trying to control the super powerful explosive nitroglycerin. Many accidents back then involved the very unstable nitroglycerin, which had killed hundreds of people including Alfred’s brother, Emil. In the lab, Nobel combined many substances with nitroglycerin; but nothing defused the explosive’s unmanageability. One day, Nobel noticed nitroglycerin was leaking from its storage casks and being soaked up by the diatomaceous earth used to pack and protect the containers. When he examined the leak, Nobel found the diatomaceous earth absorbed three times its own weight of nitroglycerin. Moreover, when dry, the mixture could be hit with a hammer and even set afire without exploding. Only a blasting cap would set off the new explosive. Nobel became fabulously wealthy but was nonetheless troubled by the death and destruction caused by some who used dynamite for nefarious purposes or in warfare. To help offset some of the mayhem, he used his great wealth to set up a fund which still provides the cash awards given out yearly along with the Nobel Prizes. It is important to note that these accidental discoveries have not been solely because of luck. Percy Spencer discovered the effect of low-density microwave energy while conducting radar-related research. De Mestral invented Velcro because he was curious about cockleburs and decided to investigate them. Joseph von Mering and Oscar Minkowski understood the relationship between the pancreas and diabetes while trying to study the role of pancreas in digestion. All these examples suggest that serendipity involves prepared, curious and open-minded people.

Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who discovered the properties of LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide, which is one of the major drugs making up the hallucinogen class of drugs) when he accidentally ingesting it in his lab, wrote: "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." There are several other instances to illustrate that many revolutionary scientific advances were indeed made by serendipity. To cite a few: Newton’s encounter with the falling apple, James Watts’ conjectures about steam in response to the behavior of the lid on a teapot, Fleming’s discovery of penicillin as a result of observing bacteria being killed by mould, discoveries of the laws of planetary motion, X-rays, quantum mechanics and antimatter. Such amazing instances of accidental discoveries have given rise to debate on relative importance of genius and serendipity in science. Have not some of the most spectacular discoveries of the past been accidental? Is not the unexpected finding the most engaging feature of scientific research? Should then one really plan in science? It is hard to plan for an accidental windfall, but we might plan to be open for new insights, possibilities or directions. While serendipity may have played a crucial role in several remarkable discoveries, the true genius lies in the ability of great scientists, researchers and scholars to recognize the importance of unforeseen occurrence. A research system that fosters curiosity and actively promotes basic research without the constraints or pressures of targeted research can create an environment conducive to serendipitous discoveries. As aptly said, “Science can benefit from a hint given by nature only if there are open-minded scientists who grasp the significance of the hint.” Ms.Rohini Misra is a Research Assistant with the Protein Chemistry Department, Central Food Technology Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore. Address: 1010, I Block, Ramakrishna Nagar, Mysore-570022,

Karnataka BOX 1Examples • •

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of Serendipity in Science

Polyethylene by Hans von Pechmann, who prepared it by accident in 1898 while heating diazomethane. Teflon, by Roy J. Plunkett, who was trying to develop a new gas for refrigeration and got a slick substance instead that was used first for lubrication of machine parts. Cyanoacrylate-based Superglue (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. Cellophane, a thin, transparent sheet made of regenerated cellulose, was developed in 1908 by Swiss chemist Jacques Brandenberger, as a material for covering stain-proof tablecloth. 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.

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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, he had previously done extensive research into antibacterial substances. The anesthetic nitrous oxide (laughing gas). 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. 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. Vaccination, discovered by English physician Edward Jenner, after he observed that milkmaids did not catch smallpox after exposure to benign cowpox. Discovery of the planet Uranus by William Herschel. Herschel was looking for comets, and initially identified Uranus as a comet until he noticed the circularity of its orbit and its distance and suggested that it was a planet, the first one discovered since antiquity. S. N. Bose discovered Bose-Einstein statistics when a mathematical error surprisingly explained anomalous data. 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 although his apparatus had an opaque cover 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. 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. Corn flakes and wheat flakes were accidentally discovered by the Kelloggs 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.