Maximum-depth sequencing (MDS), a new method of detecting extremely rare variants within a bacterial population, is used to show that mutation rates in Escherichia coli vary across the genome by ...

However, varieties released as resistant became susceptible after years/decades of cultivation due to pathogen evolution and adaptation to cultivated varieties. Thus, breeding for disease resistance ...

Agricultural scientists in the country are now embracing mutation breeding to develop plant varieties and achieve attributes of their choice. Hellen Apio, a scientist at National Agricultural Crop ...

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are a global health threat and killed an estimated 1.27 million people in 2019. The overuse of antibiotic medication is often blamed for creating these deadly pathogens, ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write skeptically about science, public policy, media and NGOs. Traditional breeding of crops existed since the beginning of ...

More information: Rowan Green et al, Collective peroxide detoxification determines microbial mutation rate plasticity in E. coli, PLOS Biology (2024). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002711.

Scientists have discovered a way to control mutation rates in bacteria, paving the way for new strategies to combat antibiotic resistance. Antibiotics are given to kill bad bacteria; however, with ...