Did you know that most scientific discoveries were discovered by mistake

 

VIAGRA 

Researchers testing sildenafil as a cure for hypertension and heart disease failed to see results, but the subjects reported unusual, lasting effects in another part of their body.

Pfizer patented the medicine and Viagra was approved for use in erectile dysfunction.

'Over 23 million prescriptions have been issued for Viagra since it became available in 1998,' added Dr. Osborne

 

SMOKE DETECTOR

Swiss researcher Walter Jaeger was attempting to create a poison detector that exploited the phenomenon of air ionisation, but none of his experiments worked.

Air ionisation typically involves using high voltages to electrically charge - or ionise - molecules in the air.  

The story goes that when a frustrated Jaeger started smoking a cigarette in his lab, his prototype sensor reacted to the smoke.

This paved the way for the invention of home smoke and fire detectors, which first appeared in large factories and offices in the early 1950s.

Only in 1965, Duane Pearsall would create a battery-powered alarm that could be installed in any home.

The American Red Cross recently released figures stating that smoke detectors cut the risk of fire-related death by 51 per cent.

 WARFARIN

Warfarin, a blood thinner that today is used to prevent strokes and heart attacks, started its life as pest control.

It was also discovered by accident.

In the early 1920s, cattle in the US and Canada started suffering from a strange condition. 

They would bleed to death even after minor procedures such as castration.

In 1921, a veterinary called Frank Schofield realised that the cattle were ingesting a particular sweet clover plant, which functioned as a potent anticoagulant.

The substance was initially patented as a rat poison. 

It was again by accident, after some people ingested the poison, that its anticoagulant effects were fully understood.

Since 1954, it has been used as a medicine.

X-RAYS

In 1895, German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen accidentally positioned a piece of cardboard covered with fluorescent material near a cathode ray experiment set.

He noticed the cardboard shone in the dark when the source of cathode rays was turned on.

Röntgen called them X-rays because he had no clue of what they were - 'X' being a code symbol for 'unknown.' 

For many decades, though, people in Germany, kept calling them Röntgen-Rays.

'X-rays have gone on to become one of the most important diagnosis tools for bone breaks, fractures, and a host of other conditions affecting the major organs,' Treated's Dr Osborne said.

The 'unknown rays' have also saved lives in other ways, being routinely used worldwide as a security measure to detect concealed  weapons and hazardous materials. 

 

SWEETENERS

Artificial sweeteners were discovered mostly because of poor hand-washing habits. 

Scientist Jim Schlatter came across aspartame when he licked his finger to turn the page of a book after he had been working on a chemical experiment in his lab.

Chemistry student Constantin Fahlberg, also guilty of not washing his hands, noticed the sweet taste of Saccharin on the bread he was eating. 

And by total negligence, a lab worker mistook the label 'testing' on a jar for 'tasting', thus discovering the sweetener known today as Splenda.

'Sweeteners (used in moderation) can be a healthier alternative to sugar, and have proved to be a valuable invention for people living with diabetes,' Dr Osborne explained. 

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