Searching for drugs in dirt, researchers call on citizen scientists
Monday, May 19, 2014 - 06:30
in Biology & Nature
(Phys.org) —Microbes are not only a rich source of disease, but also a rich source of medicines, and experts think many life-saving compounds produced by as-yet-unnamed bacteria are awaiting discovery. But they don't always give up their secrets easily. Researchers must know where to look to find promising bacteria, and how to get them to grow in the lab, the traditional route to identifying potentially valuable molecules they produce.