DIY Penicillin

We don’t often consider using do-it-yourself projects as a hedge against the apocalypse. But [The Thought Emporium] thinks we should know how to make penicillin just in case. We aren’t …read more

May 7, 2025 - 03:25

We don’t often consider using do-it-yourself projects as a hedge against the apocalypse. But [The Thought Emporium] thinks we should know how to make penicillin just in case. We aren’t so sure, but we do think it is a cool science experiment, and you can learn how to replicate it in the video below.

If you want to skip the history lesson, you need to fast-forward to about the six-minute mark. According to the video, we are surrounded by mold that can create anti-bacterial compounds. However, in this case, he starts with a special strain of mold made to produce lots of antibiotics.

You may not have all the gear he uses, including a bioreactor to generate liters of mold. Even with a lot of mold, the yield of penicillin is relatively low. Since Purina doesn’t make mold chow, you’ll have to create your own food for the mold colony.

All the work he did wound up producing 125 milligrams of drug. Obviously, if you are going to save the post-apocalyptic world, you are going to need to scale that process up.

If you are the sole survivor, maybe your AI companion can help out.