Researchers around the world have even more uses in mind for this wild new technology of biofabrication. Could they one day use bacteria, fungi, and proteins to make clothes? Could they use them for building materials for houses? Those are just fantasies right now. So far, biofabrication companies have made a lot of promises. But they haven’t produced a lot of usable products.

The idea of biofabrication has a lot of people excited. They hope building things from living creatures will be good for people, animals, and the environment. But what if biofabrication doesn’t end up doing all those things? Is it still worth studying and experimenting?

Scientists say yes. After all, even failed experiments can lead to great results—unexpected ones. Just ask inventor Spencer Silver. A company asked him to make a very strong kind of glue. But his experiment came out all wrong. His adhesive was weak. It stuck to things, but it easily peeled off of them again. A man named Art Fry worked with Mr. Silver. Mr. Fry’s bookmark always fell out of his hymnal. Mr. Fry saw a perfect use for Mr. Silver’s adhesive. It would keep the bookmark in without sticking permanently to the pages. Mr. Silver—with Mr. Fry’s help—had just invented the Post-it Note!

Something similar happened to chemist William Perkin. Mr. Perkin was trying to make a version of quinine, the drug that fights malaria. Instead, his mixture turned into a bright purple dye. Mr. Perkin had invented the color mauve. His dye worked better than any other dye on the market.

People use the creativity God gave them to invent things. Sometimes they promise their inventions will solve big problems. But things don’t always work out the way they plan. So we don’t put our hope in what they say. Instead, we trust God. He always delivers on His promises.