[lutusp]

> Oh yes. I forgot scientists produce life saving medicine from their dorm rooms all the time. How could I forget.

That's more common than most people realize (meaning something being discovered through work in an unrelated context). Look at the discovery of Penicillin as one example, there are many others.

[Fomite]

"Remember that thing that happened in 1928" is hardly a compelling case. That's like saying you can build a major telecom company without computers because Bell did it.

[lutusp]

> "Remember that thing that happened in 1928" is hardly a compelling case.

And that wasn't what I said -- Penicillin is just one example. Look at the polymerase chain reaction, thought up during a late-night drive by a graduate student and now ubiquitous in biology and medicine. Look at the first polio vaccine, created at very low cost by someone who was so sure of his results, and so short of funds, that he used his own children as test subjects.

Examples abound. One need only look.