Three billion-yr-old proteins resurrected

Scientists have resurrected two to three billion-year-old proteins from which the enzymes that armour superbugs against antibiotics have descended.

The achievement opens the door to a scientific «replay» of the evolution of antibiotic resistance with an eye to finding new ways to cope with the problem.

Jose M. Sanchez-Ruiz, Valeria A. Risso, from the University of Granada, Spain and Eric A. Gaucher, Georgia Institute of Technology explain that antibiotic resistance existed long before Alexander Fleming discovered the first antibiotic in 1928, the Journal of the American Chemical Society reports.

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