Monday, November 16, 2015

What happens when you combine an axe-wielding microbiologist and a disease-obsessed historian?

Ha! On a recent 12 hour drive I listened to a podcast from Radiolab - one of my all time favorite radio shows - and Jad and Robert were discussing one of my favorite subjects: microbes. BUT, they were doing a story on the two scientists who discovered that an ancient medicine was the only cure for some of the super bugs that modern humans have 'created'. And, by way of this podcast, I get truly wonderful and never anticipated answers to some of the questions I posed in my previous post. Another example of truth is stranger than fiction; you can't make this shit up. Just wait and listen to the podcast.

Jad and Robert had a different, intriguing, question at the conclusion of their report... Because microbes evolve so quickly, maybe our old medicines will work again because the microbe's resistance to *that* medicine has evolved out because their is a new antibacterial to develop a resistance to.

In any event, the podcast gave the background story to the scientist's collaboration to find this cure made of onion, garlic, ox bile and wine. So fabulous. We discussed this story here. You can listen to the wonderful podcast here.

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