To you, wasps, snakes, and spiders may be fascinating or freaky. But to a chemist, creatures like these may be a source of powerful medicines.
Chemists study substances that bacteria, plants, and animals use for self-defense to see if these same chemicals can be used to treat disease in human beings. Penicillin, the first antibiotic, is an example. Penicillin is derived form a mold that kills certain bacteria. In the hands of a skilled chemist, it has become a life-saving medicine.
