Run and Tumble

Small Things Considered is running a great article wherein Ted Park recalls uncovering the way way penicillin works.

I find articles like this fascinating. It would be nice if there were more written experiences of “I didn’t know, but I had some hunches, so I tried this, this and this.  A colleague mentioned such-and-such and that gave me a context to relate a,b, and c, which I’d studied earlier.” There’s a sweet spot somewhere between popular science and academic papers that gives a real feel for the investigative thought process.