Upped toxin no longer needs to bind

Darkfrog submitted, created time 1 year 2 months (www.nature.com)

Bt toxins, which many plants produce naturally, have been used both as sprays and in genetically engineered crops to repel caterpillars and other competitive slimies. So far, resistance has only been found in two species. Resistant insects are found to prevent Bt from binding to receptors in their guts.

"The researchers found that when they deleted a specific region of a Bt toxin, the toxin no longer needed to bind to a receptor before it could kill its host."

Does this make anyone else nervous? The toxin will be tested extensively before it's used in the field.

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Antibiotic-resistant bacteria fizzle in the face of gallium

Darkfrog submitted, created time 1 year 9 months (www.sciam.com)

We may yet get to destroy our civilization by blowing ourselves up , getting hit by an asteroid, or drowning under all the crud we get from the All Buying Stuff Channel: Scientists have found a way to kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria!

The trick is to given them the metal gallium, stealth-injected or inhaled by the patient, which they cannot distinguish from iron. The bacteria go about their business, thinking that they are well-nourished when in fact they are becoming as anemic as a dilettante vegan (You real vegans all know how much planning it takes)

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The antibiotic resistome: the nexus of chemical and genetic diversity

amanda submitted, created time 1 year 9 months (www.nature.com)

Why is resistance inevitable and where does it come from? Understanding the molecular diversity that underlies resistance will inform our use of these drugs and guide efforts to develop new efficacious antibiotics.

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