Biology
Mechanisms of Antibiotic Resistance in Bacterial Populations
Quick fact
Antibiotic resistance can spread between entirely different species of bacteria through a process called horizontal gene transfer, meaning a harmless bacterium can become resistant by picking up DNA from a pathogen without ever being exposed to the antibiotic.
Why this is interesting
Every time you take an antibiotic, you might be training bacteria to defeat it. How do these tiny organisms outsmart our most powerful drugs?