March 2 (UPI) -- A sample of a penicillin-producing mold culture grown by Sir Alexander Fleming has sold for nearly $15,000 in an auction held at Bonhams in London. The winning bid was nearly three times the estimated sale price.
In 1928, Fleming discovered the world's first antibiotic after happening upon a bacterial dish contaminated with mold. Fleming, a Scottish biologist, noticed the mold had formed a bacteria-free circle around the bacteria sample.