Streptomycin antibiotic was invented by which famous medical scientist associated with early antibiotic research?

Introduction / Context:
Streptomycin is one of the earliest antibiotics that worked effectively against tuberculosis and several other serious bacterial infections. Questions about the inventor of streptomycin test a learner's knowledge of medical history and the development of antibiotics after the discovery of penicillin. Knowing who created which drug helps to place the progress of microbiology and pharmacology in a clear timeline.

Given Data / Assumptions:
• The question asks for the scientist who invented or discovered streptomycin.
• Four options are given: Alexander Fleming, Marie Curie, Selman Waksman, and None of these.
• The learner must recall which scientist actually worked on streptomycin and not confuse this with the discovery of other famous drugs or scientific achievements.

Concept / Approach:
To answer, we rely on factual recall from general science and medical history. Alexander Fleming is associated with penicillin, Marie Curie with radioactivity, and Selman Waksman with streptomycin and other soil antibiotics. The approach is to match each scientist with the correct key discovery and then choose the option that correctly fits streptomycin. Elimination of mismatched pairs is a very useful method in such inventor based multiple choice questions.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that streptomycin was the first antibiotic found to be effective against tuberculosis bacteria.
Step 2: Remember that Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928, which is a different antibiotic.
Step 3: Note that Marie Curie is famous for her pioneering work on radioactivity and not for inventing antibiotics.
Step 4: Selman Waksman, a microbiologist working with soil organisms, isolated streptomycin from Streptomyces griseus.
Step 5: Therefore, the correct inventor associated with streptomycin is Selman Waksman.

Verification / Alternative check:
A quick verification method is to recall Nobel Prizes in this area. Alexander Fleming received the Nobel Prize for penicillin, and Selman Waksman received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1952 for his discovery of streptomycin. This cross check confirms that Waksman is tied to streptomycin. If a learner remembers that streptomycin is a soil derived antibiotic discovered in the mid twentieth century, this also points clearly to Waksman rather than Fleming or Curie.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Alexander Fleming is wrong because he discovered penicillin, not streptomycin. Marie Curie is wrong because she worked mainly on polonium, radium, and radioactivity, not on antibiotic drugs. The option None of these is wrong because one of the listed scientists, Selman Waksman, actually is the correct inventor of streptomycin.

Common Pitfalls:
Many learners see the word antibiotic and immediately think of Alexander Fleming due to the fame of penicillin. Another mistake is to choose None of these because the name Selman Waksman may feel less familiar. To avoid this, students should consciously link each scientist with a specific clearly remembered discovery, such as Fleming with penicillin and Waksman with streptomycin. Building small mental flashcards that pair inventions and inventors is a very effective revision technique for exam preparation.

Final Answer:
The correct inventor of streptomycin is Selman Waksman.