Uploaded November 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
It may seem like an arms race between medicines and diseases and in fact, it can be. But, could we sometimes be using one of our most effective drugs, antibiotics, in the wrong way? Evolutionary biologist, Silvie Huijen, introduces the basics of resistance evolution and how we might want to adjust how we use some drugs to treat diseases.
Please keep in mind this is research into what we might do in the future not something to try on your own. You will always want to follow your doctor's advice when taking your medicines.
Explore more: https://sparks.learning.asu.edu
00:00 Introduction
00:24 Alexander Fleming's prediction
01:06 New and controversial research
01:28 Resistance evolution
01:38 Fitness cost
02:50 What might we do?
03:48 Cancer treatments can also have a similar problem
It may seem like an arms race between medicines and diseases and in fact, it can be. But, could we sometimes be using one of our most effective drugs, antibiotics, in the wrong way? Evolutionary biologist, Silvie Huijen, introduces the basics of resistance evolution and how we might want to adjust how we use some drugs to treat diseases.
Please keep in mind this is research into what we might do in the future not something to try on your own. You will always want to follow your doctor's advice when taking your medicines.
Explore more: https://sparks.learning.asu.edu
00:00 Introduction
00:24 Alexander Fleming's prediction
01:06 New and controversial research
01:28 Resistance evolution
01:38 Fitness cost
02:50 What might we do?
03:48 Cancer treatments can also have a similar problem
