Question

In the film, "The Discovery of Penicillin," Alexander Fleming went away on vacation

Scotland at the beginning of July in 1920 as he did every year. Before leaving, Fleming
cleaned up his lab and left some petri dishes--in which he had been growing bacteria-
antiseptic. Fleming wasn't careful and some of the petri dishes did not have any antiseptic
in them.

What was Fleming trying to do with the antiseptic?

What happened to the petri dishes that didn't have antiseptic on them?

Answer 1

Alexander Fleming was trying to observe the effect of antiseptic on bacteria growth in petri dishes. Some petri dishes that didn't have antiseptic allowed the growth of mold, later identified as Penicillium, which killed the bacteria on the dish.

Step-by-step explanation:

Alexander Fleming was trying to observe the effect of antiseptic on bacteria growth in petri dishes. He left some petri dishes with bacteria and antiseptic, and some without antiseptic.

The petri dishes that didn't have antiseptic on them allowed for the growth of an unusual mold, later identified as Penicillium. When Fleming cultured the bacteria on these dishes, he found that they grew up to a certain distance from the mold and then were killed. This discovery led to the later development of penicillin, the first natural antibiotic.