In Search for Artic Bacterium for Antibiotics

Picture of Bacteria

Biologists have been searching the bottom of the seafloor for a special bacterium found in the freezing waters of the Artic. The ship, "Helmer Hanssen", and the scientists on board have been digging hard for the past couple of months in the search for this generation's next antibiotic. Bacteria has evolved, adapted, and become resistant to many antibiotics more commonly than ever. Antibiotics research has become unpopular in the past thirty years due to the quickly resisting characteristic of bacteria cells. On average, it costs a pharmaceutical company more than $2 billion to bring a new drug to market. Many believe by searching the ocean for new organisms that may give them a better understanding and knowledge in chemistry which will ultimately help treat bacterial infections.



The Helmer Hanssen