It has since revolutionised medical science, saving millions of lives. Three thousand years before penicillin, moulds and fermented materials had been used to cure various skin infections ...

An old solution, discovered over a decade before penicillin, is experiencing a resurgence in interest. Bacteriophages (phages) – viruses that specifically kill bacteria – were discovered in the early ...

The penicillin loved it, and yielded almost 500 times as much as it had before. More vigorous and productive strains of the mold were sought, and one of the best came from a rotting canteloupe ...