- “Alexander Fleming observed a consistent pattern of fungus on the culture dishes he left in his laboratory. Then he noticed the breaking of a pattern, that one dish had a zone around the fungus where the bacteria didn’t seem to grow. First he noticed the making of a pattern, the fungus, then he recognized the breaking of that pattern, the absence of fungus. He set the dish aside and later used it to isolate an extract that destroyed bacteria. That extract became known as penicillin.” Borrowing Brilliance: The Six Steps to Business Innovation by Building on the Ideas of Others (David Kord Murray) Page 46