In Print

Courtesy Morten Sommer and Gautam Dantas

Toxic to Tasty
As a rule, antibiotics kill bacteria. Or so we used to think. According to a recent paper, hundreds of different strains of bacteria found in the soil cannot only survive an antibiotic assault, they thrive on it. More than 600 types of bacteria, many of which are close relations to those that infect humans, were able to grow on a diet of nothing but antibiotic drugs. The study, by co–first authors Morten Sommer (left) and Gautam Dantas (right) from the lab of George Church, suggests that the collection of genetic mechanisms that enable resistance is much broader than expected.

Upcoming

Annual MD/MBA Lecture

The Place of Innovation in Healthcare Reform

Monday, May 5
5 p.m.

Speaker:
•Samuel O. Thier

Science Progress

How discovery happens.

Spotlight

Courtesy Massachusetts General Hospital

Genetics Professor Takes Gairdner Award
Gary Ruvkun recently was honored with the Gairdner Award with collaborator Victor Ambros for their discovery of microRNA.

Student Scene

Graham Ramsay

What’s Debt Got to Do With It?
HMS is moving in the right direction by increasing financial aid, says Joseph Ladapo, but medical student debt is still a growing issue that should be addressed on a national level.

StudenTalk

Personal takes on issues inside and outside the classroom.

Lab Works

A multimedia site featuring Harvard Medical research.