Event

C2ST Speakeasy: “Plants: how we use ’em, and how we don’t lose ’em” with Jessica B. Turner

People exist because plants exist. From medicine to shelter to inspiration, plants of all kinds have shaped the human experience. This C2ST Speakeasy will provide examples of herbs, cacti, and trees that are the backbone to our pharmaceuticals, rituals, and world, and why we need to protect them. With species going extinct every day, humans have to get creative about conservation. Continue reading “C2ST Speakeasy: “Plants: how we use ’em, and how we don’t lose ’em” with Jessica B. Turner”

Video

The Threat of Superbugs – Robert A. Weinstein, Robert S. Daum, Scott Franzblau, and Michael Federle

Tuesday, April 28, 2015 at Northwestern Baldwin Auditorium

Infectious disease has been a big problem for living things since long before there were humans. Humans have used various medicines for thousands of years to reduce the impact of infectious disease, but the development of antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs over the last 100 years has been one of the greatest advancements in medicine. These drugs have saved countless lives from otherwise fatal infections. Unfortunately, this good news doesn’t last. Continue reading “The Threat of Superbugs – Robert A. Weinstein, Robert S. Daum, Scott Franzblau, and Michael Federle”

Event

The Threat of Superbugs

Infectious disease has been a big problem for living things since long before there were humans. Humans have used various medicines for thousands of years to reduce the impact of infectious disease, but the development of antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs over the last 100 years has been one of the greatest advancements in medicine. These drugs have saved countless lives from otherwise fatal infections. Unfortunately, this good news doesn’t last.

Continue reading “The Threat of Superbugs”

C2ST in the News

The Threat of “Superbugs”

By Paul Caine Producer, WTTW’s Chicago Tonight

Originally published at: https://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2015/04/28/threat-superbugs

The World Health Organization warns that the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria or “superbugs” means that we could be on the brink of a “post-antibiotic era” in which common infections and minor injuries can once again kill. They say the situation is “so serious that it threatens the achievements of modern medicine.” We talk with The University of Chicago’s Dr. Robert Daum and University of Illinois at Chicago’s Dr. Scott Franzblau about the scale of the threat and what we can all do to try and contain it.

Continue reading “The Threat of “Superbugs””

Press Release

The Threat of Superbugs

The drugs we’ve relied on for over 70 years to keep us safe—from small cuts to deadly systemic infections—are becoming less effective.

Broad-spectrum antibiotics, which target multiple types of bacteria at once, are prescribed when more targeted drugs could be used. Or, antibiotics are prescribed for infections that are caused by viruses rather than bacteria, something antibiotics are useless against. In our homes, use of antibacterial products such as soap and cleansers is on the rise. And in the US, 80 percent of antibiotic use is on the farm, to prevent disease and promote growth in livestock.

Continue reading “The Threat of Superbugs”