Can We Avoid an Antibiotic Apocalypse?

More and more diseases are becoming resistant to antibiotics. Within a few decades, we’ll enter the “post-antibiotic era,” a time when even the most routine infections could threaten our lives. It’s a frightening prospect — but we may have some novel bacteria-fighting tricks up our sleeve.

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Panda blood could hold the secret to the next generation of antibiotics

Pandas aren't exactly renowned for their health and hardiness — if anything, they've earned a reputation as a fragile, sex-averse species that needs constant human conservation just to keep from going extinct. Well, they might be about to repay the favor in a big way, thanks to a powerful antibiotic locked inside their …

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Are antibiotics making your kids obese?

The science of studying the human gut microbiome is still in its early days — but research into this area is beginning to reveal some pretty startling things. Take two recent studies published in Nature and the International Journal of Obesity, both of which indicate that the use of antibiotics in young children could …

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The world's most isolated cave is home to 4 million year old "superbugs"

Lechuguilla Cave has been completely isolated from the outside world for over four million years, making it one of the world's most pristine ecosystems. And yet it's full of bacteria that are resistant to modern antibiotics. This is fantastic news.

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The world's smelliest frogs are a treasure trove of antibiotics

Some of the most foul smelling creatures on Earth are known simply as odorous frogs. These amphibians have a normal odor like that of rotting fish, but it's worth braving their disgusting smell for the life-saving substances that coat their bodies.

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Vampire bacteria could become the ultimate antibiotic

A bacterium found in sewage water could revolutionize modern medicine. It's basically the bacterial equivalent of a vampire, spending its time hunting other bacteria and sucking out all their nutrients. This could revolutionize antibotics and stop the rise of "super bugs."

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Resistance to antibiotics is 30,000 years older than the drugs…

Antibiotics are one of the greatest breakthroughs of modern medicine, giving us a crucial weapon in the fight against infectious bacteria, but recently we've seen the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Now it seems this is a surprisingly ancient phenomenon.

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Drug-resistant "superbug" is in Delhi's water supply, could spread…

The era of easy antibiotics may be coming to an end in our lifetimes — a gene that causes a variety of bacteria to become antibiotic-resistant is widespread in the Delhi water supply, according to a new study.

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Antibiotics Can Prevent Bacteria From Becoming Drug-Resistant

erythromycin.gif You've probably heard that all the antibiotics we take are breeding new generations of drug-resistant bacteria. In fact, many diseases we once killed easily with Penicillin now require mega-doses of super-antibiotics like Cipro. While researchers have known for a long time that bacteria are developing resistance to…

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