The Ik – among the poorest people on Earth – have been cast as exemplars of human selfishness. The truth is much more startling Slabs of sunlight break through the mist, illuminating the bright pastel ripples of Oribo Valley, the valley I’m named after. I’ve been given this name by the Ik people I’m living […]
Inside the slimy underground hunt for humanity’s antibiotic saviour
Faced with an onslaught of new, drug-resistant superbugs, determined scientists are venturing into the depths of the Earth in search of rare and unusual bacteria that may form the basis of tomorrow’s antibiotics. …the true function of such metabolites in nature may be to act as a form of language between bacteria, enabling them to communicate […]