It is for this reason that if you were to make a pilgrimage to Rapa Nui, you might come upon a small plaque at the site where S. hygroscopicus was discovered. “At this site,” the plaque reads in Portuguese, “soil samples were obtained in January 1965 that allowed the production of rapamycin, a substance that inaugurated a new era for patients who need organ transplants.” I suspect that a larger plaque may soon be in order, because the discovery of S. hygroscopicus set into motion a tremendous amount of research, much of which is still ongoing and some of which has the potential to prolong
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