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Genomic analysis shows ancient Psychrobacter resists 10 antibiotics, indicating key insights into antibiotic resistance evolution.
A bilingual (English/Russian) science communication article about the first complete genome sequence of a 5,000-year-old bacterium (Psychrobacter SC65A.3) discovered in Romania's Scărișoara Ice Cave. The ancient microbe carries resistance genes against 10 modern antibiotics — including last-resort drugs like vancomycin — despite never encountering them. This accessible summary explains the genomic analysis, the implications for understanding antibiotic resistance evolution, and the potential for discovering novel antimicrobial compounds from ancient organisms. Originally published at https://sigmatic.science/en/ancient-bacterium-antibiotic-resistance/
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Vitaliy Kanev (2026) studied this question.
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