When we were persuaded to start this blog (and the Facebook page that proceeded it) it was mainly to promote research into new antibiotics and lend humble aid to charities like antibiotics research uk [1] who were doing so much in this great cause
Since then it’s grown, as we realised all progressive causes are interlinked. But we are still happy to tell you when something good happens in our Original Cause. And something in our newer fields of interest, so to speak. We’ve got one such of each today, and so without further ado, let’s see what they are
Teixobactin synthesised. Long standing readers will recall our reports of promising antibiotic candidates being dug out of the ground. The trouble was to synthesise them on an economic scale. Now, as John Ely reports for the Mail, a British team has worked up an original American discovery into something more applicable. [2] And what an argument this is for transnational cooperation and cross frontier collaboration!
Carbon Capture pays If you want something to work long term, find a way for someone to make money from it. Nature Briefings [3] has an excellent article on how we might start using all that spare carbon dioxide that’s kicking about to make things we can sell back to ourselves. There are some great diagrams and graphics if you click in, but here’s there summary Making stuff from CO2. Thoughtful, full and well-considered.
| Many companies are chasing an alluring idea: divert greenhouse gases away from the atmosphere and use them to make products that are both virtuous and profitable. Some are boutique items for the climate-conscious shopper — vodka or diamonds, for example. Most are staples of the global economy: fuels, polymers, other chemicals and building materials. But there are tough questions about whether CO2 recycling genuinely benefits the climate: most of the products made this way will lock the gas away only temporarily.Nature | 15 min read |
[1]https://www.antibioticresearch.org.uk/?msclkid=a34d2968b01011eca7fe747f954dc123
[3] briefing@nature.com
#antibiotics #microbial resistance #teixobactin #carbon capture #recycle ##climate change
Learning, Science and Society 