[thrown_22]

>Later, when he licked his fingers to turn a page, he discovered a very sweet taste. Since he realized that the compound he made was unlikely to be toxic, he tasted it and found it extremely sweet indeed. In fact, aspartame is about 200 times as sweet by weight as sugar.

This is horrifying.

[avnigo]

I guess lab safety wasn't what it is now. Serendipitous discovery, but it could've gone much worse.

[acuozzo]

If you think this is horrifying, then I'd suggest reading the origin story of Sucralose.

[medstrom]

Explain?

[thrown_22]

What if it had been toxic?

[medstrom]

>he realized that the compound he made was unlikely to be toxic

[purpleidea]

Then we might not have discovered it yet.