The accidental scientist: the role of chance and luck in scientific discovery

Cover; Title page; Copyright page; Dedication page; Contents; Introduction; Botox; DNA Fingerprinting; Cellulose; Synthetic Dyes; Mustard Gas; Penicillin; Catseyes; The Microwave Oven; Darwin: The Accidental Tourist; Pavlov's Dog; Post-it Notes; A Cure for Scurvy; Nitroglycerin; The Telephone; Lobotomies; Thalidomide; Radiation Exposure; The Cellphone; Starlite; Pykrete; A Shipment of Uranium; Punch-card Machines; LSD; The Frozen Experiment; Bibliography; Picture Credits; Index.;Have you ever wondered how the ideas for some things come about? Surprisingly often it is as much down to chance as a single person's brilliance. The Accidental Scientist explores the role of chance and error in scientific, medical and commercial innovation, outlining exactly how some of the most well-known products, gadgets and useful gizmos came to be. From the jacuzzi to jeans and TNT to Tipp-Ex, this book explores many of the discoveries that we are all so familiar with today, yet have the most interesting origins because of the story behind them. Not all discoveries require brilliance, an.