Question

The Discovery of Penicillin In 1928, Sir Alexander Fleming was studying Staphylococcus bacteria growing in culture dishes. He noticed that a mold called Penicillium was also growing in some of the dishes. A clear area existed around the mold because all the bacteria that had grown in this area had died. In the culture dishes without the mold, no clear areas were present. Fleming hypothesized that the mold must be producing a chemical that killed the bacteria. He decided to isolate this substance and test it to see if it would kill bacteria. Fleming transferred the mold to a nutrient broth solution. This solution contained all the materials the mold needed to grow. After the mold grew, he removed it from the nutrient broth. Fleming then added the nutrient broth in which the mold had grown to a culture of bacteria. He observed that the bacteria died. This mold was later used to develop antibiotics, for the purpose of treating a variety of diseases. 6. Identify the problem. 7. What was Fleming's hypothesis? 8. How was the hypothesis tested? 9. Should the hypothesis be supported or rejected based on the experiment? 10. This experiment led to the development of what major medical advancement? ​

Answer 1

Answer/ Explanation: 6. The problem identified in the experiment was the presence of bacteria growth in the culture dishes.

7. Fleming's hypothesis was that the mold called Penicillium was producing a chemical that killed the bacteria.

8. To test the hypothesis, Fleming transferred the mold to a nutrient broth solution, allowing it to grow. Afterward, he added the nutrient broth in which the mold had grown to a culture of bacteria and observed that the bacteria died.

9. Based on the experiment, the hypothesis should be supported. The presence of the clear area around the Penicillium mold, where the bacteria had died, suggests that the mold was producing a chemical with antibacterial properties.

10. This experiment led to the development of the major medical advancement known as antibiotics. Antibiotics are substances derived from molds or other sources that can kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria, providing a powerful tool for treating a variety of diseases caused by bacterial infections.