A groundbreaking approach to combating antibiotic resistance has emerged!
In 1928, an unexpected contaminant during a laboratory experiment by Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming led to the remarkable discovery of penicillin, revolutionizing the field of medicine forever. This groundbreaking advancement has since saved countless lives; however, it has also given rise to a significant challenge: antibiotic resistance is on the rise. On today’s episode of Short Wave, host Regina G. Barber engages in a conversation with biophysicist Nathalie Balaban to explore this pressing issue and discuss a promising breakthrough from her research team that could potentially alter the current trajectory.
If you’re curious about resilient bacteria thriving in Yellowstone’s extreme environments, be sure to check out our episodes detailing their unique adaptations, as well as our exploration of the last universal common ancestor, which gives us insight into the origins of all life.
Want to dive deeper into the science underpinning our medications? We invite you to send your questions to shortwave@npr.org.
You can enjoy every episode of Short Wave without any sponsorship interruptions and help support our efforts at NPR by subscribing to Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.
This particular episode was produced by Berly McCoy, with editing by our showrunner Rebecca Ramirez. The facts were meticulously verified by Tyler Jones, and the audio engineering was skillfully handled by Jimmy Keeley.
