(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A preserved sliver of moldy cantaloupe made an appearance at a bill-signing Tuesday on Ag Day at the Illinois State Fair.
The historic specimen came from the USDA Ag Lab in Peoria, where researchers in 1941 used it to zero in on the wonder drug Penicillium Rubens.
“This is the actual penicillin mold, right here,” state Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, said.
On Tuesday, Penicillium Rubens became the official state microbe.
Why should Illinois have an official state this and that?
“It’s useful to learn about our state and be proud of the great things Illinois has done to change the course of the world,” state Rep. Ryan Spain, R-Peoria, said earlier this year.
No produce or any other grocery item was involved in another bill signed Tuesday. That measure promotes agriculture-related courses as fulfilling requirements to enter college.
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