I learned today that a microbiologist and an historian (both from the University of Nottingham) recently collaborated to discover, translate and then use an ancient set of instructions from Viking times for making a powerful medicine. They then proceeded to replicate this mixture in their lab. When they applied this mixture to staph specimens in the lab they discovered that the mixture completely destroyed the staph bacteria. They successfully repeated this experiment several times. The experimenters hypothesized that the Viking medicine may have lost its potency after over-use, just as our antibiotics generate resistance after over-use. By not being used for 1100 years the medicine may have regained its potency.
This suggests the fascinating possibility that, if some modern antibiotics are no longer effective because of bacterial resistance, and are then are not used for a long period of time, they may overcome this resistance and eventually regain their potency.
What I learnt today
ReplyDeleteI learned today that a microbiologist and an historian (both from the University of Nottingham) recently collaborated to discover, translate and then use an ancient set of instructions from Viking times for making a powerful medicine. They then proceeded to replicate this mixture in their lab. When they applied this mixture to staph specimens in the lab they discovered that the mixture completely destroyed the staph bacteria. They successfully repeated this experiment several times.
The experimenters hypothesized that the Viking medicine may have lost its potency after over-use, just as our antibiotics generate resistance after over-use. By not being used for 1100 years the medicine may have regained its potency.
This suggests the fascinating possibility that, if some modern antibiotics are no longer effective because of bacterial resistance, and are then are not used for a long period of time, they may overcome this resistance and eventually regain their potency.
August 2016