brainbox/young-scientists/medicine/home.txt · Last modified: 25/06/2019/ 20:28 by 127.0.0.1
Since the widespread use of antibiotics began in the 1940s, we've tried to develop new drugs faster than bacteria can evolve – but this strategy isn't working. Drug-resistant bacteria known as superbugs killed nearly 700,000 people last year, and by 2050 that number could be 10 million – more than cancer kills each year. Can physics help? In a talk from the frontiers of science, radiation scientist David Brenner shares his work studying a potentially life-saving weapon: a wavelength of ultraviolet light known as far-UVC, which can kill superbugs safely, without penetrating our skin. Followed by a Q&A with TED Curator Chris Anderson.