One day in 1928, Alexander Fleming noticed that Staphylococcus failed to thrive near a fungus that had contaminated his bacteria cultures. He isolated the active substance, leading to the first antibiotic drug, penicillin, and heralding a new age of miracle drugs. Since then, scientists have brought out a hundred or so antibiotics, saving millions of lives. But these days the drugs are less miraculous than they once were. Bacteria are evolving resistance, leaving doctors with no treatment options for many infections.
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