Genomic sequencing reveals previously unknown genes that make microbes resistant to drugs and hard to kill

Scientists have described antimicrobial resistance as an overlooked pandemic. Improving surveillance can help prevent deadly outbreaks.

Nneka Vivian Iduu, Graduate Research Assistant in Pathobiology, Auburn University • conversation
March 24, 2025 • ~8 min

Fighting antibiotic resistance at the source – using machine learning to identify bacterial resistance genes and the drugs to block them

By analyzing the resistance genes and proteins of E. coli, researchers can optimize treatments to address both current and future antimicrobial resistance.

Abdullahi Tunde Aborode, Mississippi State University • conversation
Oct. 30, 2024 • ~5 min

Hospital-acquired infections are rising – here’s how to protect yourself in health care settings

Some of the infections are showing an increased resistance to antibiotics.

Nasia Safdar, Professor of Infectious Disease, University of Wisconsin-Madison • conversation
July 26, 2024 • ~8 min

Drugs that aren’t antibiotics can also kill bacteria − new method pinpoints how

There are many ways to kill microbes that cause dangerous infections. Combining genetic screening with machine learning can help researchers identify new antimicrobials.

Mariana Noto Guillen, Ph.D. Candidate in Systems Biology, UMass Chan Medical School • conversation
April 16, 2024 • ~7 min

Only 1% of chemical compounds have been discovered – here's how we search for others that could change the world

The limitless world of chemistry and how researchers investigate it.

Matthew Addicoat, Senior Lecturer in Functional Materials, Nottingham Trent University • conversation
Oct. 17, 2023 • ~8 min

Tenacious curiosity in the lab can lead to a Nobel Prize – mRNA research exemplifies the unpredictable value of basic scientific research

The winners of the 2023 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine made a discovery that helped create the COVID-19 vaccines. They couldn’t have anticipated the tremendous impact of their findings.

André O. Hudson, Dean of the College of Science, Professor of Biochemistry, Rochester Institute of Technology • conversation
Oct. 3, 2023 • ~9 min

Strep throat can easily be confused with throat infections caused by viruses – here are a few ways to know the difference

Despite an abundance of research on strep, there is still a great deal of debate in the scientific community over whether and when people should get tested and treated for it.

Allen Shaughnessy, Professor of Family Medicine, Tufts University • conversation
July 12, 2023 • ~9 min

The melting Arctic is a crime scene. The microbes I study have long warned us of this catastrophe – but they are also driving it

To fully understand the extent of climate-related dangers the Arctic – and our planet – is facing, we must focus on organisms too small to be seen with the naked eye.

Arwyn Edwards, Reader in Biology, Department of Life Sciences, Aberystwyth University • conversation
June 23, 2023 • ~27 min

Gain-of-function research is more than just tweaking risky viruses – it's a routine and essential tool in all biology research

From cancer immunotherapy and antibiotics to GMO crops and pandemic surveillance, gain of function is a cornerstone of basic research.

Anice Lowen, Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University • conversation
May 8, 2023 • ~11 min

Reconstructing ancient bacterial genomes can revive previously unknown molecules – offering a potential source for new antibiotics

Ancient microbes likely produced natural products their descendants today do not. Tapping into this lost chemical diversity could offer a potential source of new drugs.

Pierre Stallforth, Professor of Bioorganic Chemistry and Paleobiotechnology, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena • conversation
May 4, 2023 • ~9 min

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