antimicrobial

Researchers are using CRISPR for precise genetic manipulation of human-associated microbes as a promising avenue for improving human health.

Researchers observe that dolphins in a pod in the Red Sea regularly rub against certain corals and sponges, perhaps to sooth their skin by prompting the invertebrates to release mucus that contains antimicrobial compounds.

The antimicrobial compounds ants excrete to defend themselves from pathogens may protect plants as well.

The giant lizards have numerous microbicidal compounds in their blood.

Metal ions and materials with nanoscale patterns can kill even antibiotic-resistant pathogens. 

To protect the global food supply, scientists want to understand—and enhance—plants’ natural resistance to pathogens.

How plants fight off pathogens

Adipocytes under the skin help fight infections by producing an antimicrobial agent.

Surfaces covered in a micropattern mimicking the ridges of shark skin could reduce the spread of drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and other superbugs in hospitals.

The Asian harlequin ladybird carries a biological weapon to wipe out competing species.

Cyclic peptides, discovered in an African tea used to speed labor and delivery, may hold potential as drug-stabilizing scaffolds, antibiotics, and anticancer drugs.

Researchers find antibiotic resistance genes in 30,000-year-old bacteria, suggesting such resistance is not a modern phenomenon.

As much as rainforests or deep-sea vents, the human gut holds rich stores of microbial chemicals that should be mined for their pharmacological potential.