https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_microbe damn, we gotta get ourselves a state microbe
State microbe - Wikipedia

quick, someone discover a novel antibiotic

Oregon went with a yeast. That's a pretty good microbe to have.

New Jersey and Illinois both went with an antibiotic. Also great microbe choices.

the story of how all modern penicillin production dates back to one moldy cantaloupe in Peoria is getting to me

https://www.the-scientist.com/how-a-moldy-cantaloupe-took-fleming-s-penicillin-from-discovery-to-mass-production-72304

How a Moldy Cantaloupe Took Fleming’s Penicillin from Discovery to Mass Production

Alexander Fleming’s 1928 discovery of a mold with antibacterial properties was only the first serendipitous event on the long road to penicillin as a life-saving drug.

The Scientist Magazine®
illinois was firing on all cylinders that year
can you believe Wisconsin didn't vote in a state microbe
getting microbemogged by Peoria
i was hoping i could cure my isekai anxiety by being able to discover penicillin, but it turns out to be kind of a pain to get anything useful out of
there's something poetic about this incredibly common mold just hanging out in the air, waiting for someone to do something with it
@BestGirlGrace ok, so, germ theory, but also anti-germs just floating around? It turns out a small number of microbes are on our side, by accident.

@unlofl turns out there's a mold that manufactures this antibacterial under circumstances.

but it's really finicky to get anything out of