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Antibiotic resistance

Archaea

Charles Darwin’s ‘tree of life’ gets a new look

Science

The Tree of Life proposed by Charles Darwin in the 19th century depicts different forms of life diverging from one another as they evolve down through successive generations. But discoveries of new life forms and the phenomenon of horizontal gene transfer indicate life can also evolve through convergence.

A rapid diagnostic test for malaria.

With quick and easy malaria tests, some unexpected drawbacks

Health
chickens

Journalist Maryn McKenna on the rise of ‘Big Chicken’ — and our current antibiotic crisis

Science
Colonies of lab-grown E. coli bacteria similar to a strain carrying a gene that makes it resistant to all known antibiotics. Many bacterial pathogens are developing drug resistance due to the widespread misuse of antibiotics.

Think antibiotic-resistant ‘super-bugs’ are only a distant threat? Think again.

Health
Ground beef

A new report suggests not all ground beef is equally safe

Environment
Biofilm imaging

Bacterial ‘Hunger Games’ could help in the fight against infectious diseases

Science

Cells in bacterial colonies work together to stay alive and fend off their enemies, making them super-resistant to antibiotics. But by understanding these partnerships, we might be able to turn friendly bacteria against each other so that the odds may not be in their favor.

Allen Leonard, research associate with Texas A&M AgriLife Research, uses a custom spray rig to apply herbicide to Roundup Ready alfalfa test plots.

Weed-killing sprays may also be killing our ability to fight bacteria

Science

Penicillin overkill has created life-threatening bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. But now some new research shows that common herbicides used in farming can also breed resistant bacteria, and no one’s sure how that may affect humans.

A facsimile of a page from Bald's Leechbook

A deadly modern disease may have an unexpected ancient cure

Medicine

Scientists are pleased with preliminary tests for a new cure for MRSA, the deadly antibiotic-resistant infection. But it’s not a fancy new technology: The new remedy was found in an Anglo-Saxon medical book that’s more than 1000 years old.

A McDonald's 10 piece chicken McNuggets.

Is it a good thing that McDonald’s plans to limit its use of antibiotics in chicken?

Health

McDonald’s in the US will be limiting the use of anitbiotics in chickens. Is this a good thing? Let’s back up a bit. Why do farmers even use antibiotics and what’s so bad about eating a chicken with antibiotics in it?

A newly discovered soil bacterium, Eleftheria terrae, is able to make teixobactin, a new antibiotic that can kill a range of disease-causing bacteria.

Scientists discover a potent new antibiotic

Medicine

Antibiotics, among the most extraordinary drugs of the last hundred years, mostly come from a very ordinary source: dirt. But that source has been slowly exhausted, since 99 percent of the microbes in dirt can’t be cultured in a lab. Now, a group of scientists has developed a new technique for cultivating bacteria on their home turf, so to speak: right in the dirt, where they grow best. The results are a game-changer.