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The Chemical Legacy of Louis Pasteur

5 Jun 2026

Louis Pasteur is buried in an elaborate mausoleum at the Institute Pasteur in Paris where mosaic tiles on the tomb commemorate various aspects of the great man's scientific life. A flock of sheep,...

There Are No Cows in Louis Pasteur's Crypt

7 Nov 2025

Ask the question: “Who introduced the pasteurization of milk?” and I can pretty well guarantee that the answer will be: “Louis Pasteur.” I know because I have carried out that little experiment...

Will The Virus Have The Last Word?

29 May 2020

“Gentlemen, it is the microbes who will have the last word.” Those words spoken by Louis Pasteur a century and a half ago are unnervingly meaningful today as we confront the SARS-CoV-2 virus that...

How Louis Pasteur Beat a Beet Problem and Changed Medicine Forever

6 Mar 2019

Pasteur, who was then a young professor of chemistry at the University of Lille, was saddled with a problem faced by many researchers today. He needed funding and sought help from private...

The Many Uses of Cream of Tartar

15 Feb 2017

In chemical terms, it is potassium hydrogen tartrate which is basically partially neutralized tartaric acid. Pasteur became interested in the chemistry of winemaking and launched into a study of...

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