In the 1950s, medical researcher Wilson Greatbach was building an oscillator to record heart sounds when he pulle dthe wrong resistor out of a box. When he assembled his device, it began to giv off a rhythmic electrical pulse. It was then realised his invention could be used as a pacemaker.

Serendipity of Science: Saving Lives - for iPod/iPhone

Wilson Greatbatch and the Accidental Heart Stimulator

Can you think like a scientist? Can you turn a bad result into a good hypothesis? Scientific thinking changes the way you look at the world. Science generally involves long hours of painstaking lab work as researchers refine their carefully designed experiments in response to their results. However, occasionally, it all goes wrong and the outcome isn’t quite what was expected. That’s when thinking like a scientist can help turn a bit of bad luck into a new discovery. From the Big Bang, penicillin and radioactivity to Teflon, Velcro and Viagra the history of science is littered with these 'accidental' inventions. This series focuses on three examples which have helped save lives - penicillin, safety glass and pacemakers. Find out how wondering why an experiment went wrong led to something far more interesting.

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Serendipity of Science: Saving Lives - for iPod/iPhone