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Dr. Bernard Bateman is the founder of the science of coincidences. Working in University of Virginia, he formulated definitions and methodology for the scientific study of coincidences. In the course of research, he heard about many amazing coincidences and shared some of them.
Fateful look in the trash
Journalist Stephen Diamond arrived in San Francisco, having everything only $ 10. He could not afford to buy a notebook for notes, but he was overcome by inspiration. He wanted to steal a notebook, but soon he found a notebook lying in the middle of garbage, old rags, shoes and old books.
On the notebook was the inscription “Stephen Diamond, master.” What is the probability of finding an unspoiled notebook in the middle of the trash with his name on it at the moment when he was most needed?
He wrote the story “What the Trees Say”, which brought him glory.
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Strong coincidence shocked skeptic
Dr. Michael Shermer – Founder of Skeptic Magazine, Director of the Society skeptics and author of monthly publications in the journal Scientific American
In his column on September 16, he wrote about an experiment that made him draw the following conclusions: “We must not lock the doors perceptions when they open that show us the unknown world”.
His bride’s belongings were transported from Germany to the United States. Among them was her grandfather’s radio in 1978. She was very friendly with her grandfather who died when she was 16 years old. Radio did not work decades. Shermer tried to repair it, but he has nothing did not work. It lay in a drawer in the bedroom.
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Three months later they got married. After the wedding ceremony, the wife wanted to talk to him in private. She felt lonely, her there weren’t enough German relatives, and she wanted grandfather to be beside. The couple returned home, where they heard music, romantic a song.
They could not find the source of the music. Then his wife with horror looked at him: “This can not be! This is not what I mean thought? “she said.
It played an old radio in a desk drawer.
“My grandfather is with us,” she said in tears. “I’m not alone.”
Shermer’s daughter heard music from the radio before the ceremony. But the couple entered the room at that time and did not hear anything. Radio continued to play all night.
“It stopped working the next day and no longer turned on, “writes Shermer.
Coincidence on the discovery of penicillin
Penicillin antibiotic that revolutionized treatment of bacterial infections has been discovered thanks to a number of matches.
Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming caught a cold in November 1921. He had a runny nose and one snot fell in a saucer with bacteria. He saw that the snot killed the bacteria, leaving around “suppression zone”. The component that killed the bacteria turned out to be an enzyme lysozyme from its mucus, but lysozyme was not possible massively produce as an antibiotic.
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Almost a decade later, he conducted research in a hospital St. Mary The conditions in the laboratory were very poor: there were cracks, and the room was a draft.
He went on vacation and left a petri dish in the sink. Returning before washing it, he decided to study its contents and saw that it was full of dead bacteria. Suppression zone formed near some mushrooms that accidentally fell into saucer: spores flew through cracks in the ceiling from a room with lower floor where another experiment was conducted.
Disputes flew to the right place at the right time when the temperature was optimal. If the bacteria in the cup were in another phase of development, then the mushrooms could not cause the desired the effect.
Fleming realized that mold can kill bacteria. But only in 40s another group of scientists who experimented with mice, found that mold (penicillin) can survive inside mammal and has the potential to treat bacterial infections of people. They did research in another area, this there was an accidental discovery.
Thus, Fleming noticed a suppression zone around the snot, this factor helped to achieve results with further matches. This is one of the reasons why Dr. Bateman is so interested in studying. coincidence – awareness can help people convert more often attention to useful coincidences, he believes.
If the laboratory were in better condition, the spores would never hit Fleming’s sink. If Fleming Were Not So pedantic, he would not have studied mold before rinsing it off and would not notice the suppression zone. Had mold spores not landed at the right time, then Fleming could not have done his opening. At least he would not have done it at this time, perhaps penicillin would be discovered later.
A lot of coincidences and a little observation led to a discovery that saved millions of lives.
Mushrooms Time
