Project Penicillin
The Race to Develop a Life-Saving Antibiotic
Published on 5. March 2026
96 pages
978-0-241-81940-1 (ISBN)
Description
Experience the greatest breakthroughs in science, with the DK Science Stories series.
On the battlefields of World War I, soldiers are dying from infected wounds. A young doctor witnessing the devastation vows to find a cure. In his messy laboratory a decade later, he makes an accidental discovery - a miracle mould that kills bacteria. But try as he might, he cannot turn his amazing find into a useful medicine.
This is the story of that chance discovery and the brilliant scientists who took Alexander Fleming's miracle mould and worked tirelessly to turn it into a treatment that doctors could use. As another war broke out in Europe, they found themselves in a race against time to grow enough penicillin and create the first antibiotic. Their teamwork and determination led to a class of drugs that saved countless lives and paved the way for modern surgery and other life-saving treatments.
On the battlefields of World War I, soldiers are dying from infected wounds. A young doctor witnessing the devastation vows to find a cure. In his messy laboratory a decade later, he makes an accidental discovery - a miracle mould that kills bacteria. But try as he might, he cannot turn his amazing find into a useful medicine.
This is the story of that chance discovery and the brilliant scientists who took Alexander Fleming's miracle mould and worked tirelessly to turn it into a treatment that doctors could use. As another war broke out in Europe, they found themselves in a race against time to grow enough penicillin and create the first antibiotic. Their teamwork and determination led to a class of drugs that saved countless lives and paved the way for modern surgery and other life-saving treatments.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Dorling Kindersley Ltd
Target group
Children/juvenile
Interest Age: From 9 to 12 years
File size
58,70 MB
ISBN-13
978-0-241-81940-1 (9780241819401)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
approx. 03/2026
DK Children
€13.00
Not yet published
Book
approx. 03/2026
DK Children
€13.00
Not yet published
Persons
Isabel Thomas is an award-winning science writer, presenter, and educator. She has degrees in Human Sciences from the University of Oxford and Educational Research from the University of Cambridge. Isabel has written a galaxy of books for young audiences, and is a double winner of the AAAS Prize for Excellence in Science Books. She also writes features for science magazines and the BBC, and delivers outreach projects for a wide range of organisations, inspiring children from diverse backgrounds to pursue science. You can find more about Isabel and her work at isabelthomas.co.uk.
