Alchemist Hennig Brand looks focused, if maybe a bit drained, in this 1795 painting by Joseph Wright. The painting depicts Brand's discovery of the chemical element phosphorus.
Joseph Wright of Derby/Wikimedia
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German alchemist Hennig Brand started with about 1,500 gallons of urine in his 17th century hunt for gold. Discovering phosphorus was just a nice surprise. Know a modern tale of scientific luck?
Alchemist Hennig Brand looks focused, if maybe a bit drained, in this 1795 painting by Joseph Wright. The painting depicts Brand's discovery of the chemical element phosphorus.
Joseph Wright of Derby/Wikimedia
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A Health Ministry employee fumigates against the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which can carry the Zika virus, at a home in Caracas, Venezuela, on Jan. 28.
Juan Barreto /AFP/Getty Images
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