Scientists in Boston, looking into new optical microscope techniques, have unexpectedly been able to break down MRSA’s surrounding membrane, using blue light.
Bacteria are impressively adaptive. Through rapid cell division and via horizontal gene transfer— where they transfer genes with their neighbors — bacteria can quickly strengthen their defenses against threats.
One such threat is antibiotics, and pathogens, such as some bacteria, are rapidly adapting to defeat them. As these pathogens become resistant to more and more antibiotics, visions of a world in which the drugs on which we depend no longer work have seen scientists racing to come up with some other way to stop infections. Now, scientists from Boston University’s College of