Good Morning 🌞

Well, here's a twist—your skin isn’t just holding everything in place. It’s playing host to tiny yeast that might just help us beat drug-resistant bugs. Who needs a lab coat when you’ve got built-in biotech? Science never looked so... skin-deep.

Read on to find out how this surprising discovery could change the way we fight infections—no microscope required. 🧫✨

Innovation

Wiping Out Superbugs

In a discovery that could reshape how we fight drug-resistant infections, scientists at the University of Oregon have identified a molecule with powerful antimicrobial properties—produced not by bacteria, but by yeast living on human skin. The compound, found in the skin-dwelling fungus Malassezia, shows strong activity against Staphylococcus aureus, a common bacterium responsible for hundreds of thousands of U.S. hospitalizations each year. Led by postdoctoral researcher Caitlin Kowalski, the study focuses on fungi as a largely untapped source for new antibiotics. “With the global threat of drug-resistant infections, fungi inhabiting human skin are an untapped resource for identifying new antibiotics,” Kowalski said.

Published in Current Biology, the research reveals how Malassezia consumes skin oils and transforms them into fatty acids that selectively kill S. aureus. What makes the compound particularly effective is its activation in acidic environments—like healthy human skin. “I think that’s why in some cases we may have missed these kinds of antimicrobial mechanisms,” said Kowalski. “Because the pH in the lab wasn’t low enough. But human skin is really acidic.” While the compound itself isn’t new to science, its skin-specific potency offers a unique application. “There are lots of studies that identify new antibiotic structures,” she explained, “but what was fun and interesting about ours is that we identified (a compound) that is well-known and that people have studied before.”

From experiments using skin cells and samples from healthy donors, Kowalski’s team found that Malassezia sympodialis produces hydroxy fatty acids that act like detergents—tearing apart bacterial membranes and killing S. aureus within 15 minutes. However, repeated exposure triggered bacterial resistance, tied to a mutation in the Rel gene—a stress-response regulator also seen in clinical settings. “There’s growing interest in applying microbes as a therapeutic, such as adding bacteria to prevent the growth of a pathogen,” Kowalski said. “But it can have consequences that we have not yet fully understood.” With support from chemical microbiologists at McMaster University, Kowalski spent three years isolating the active compound. “It was like finding a needle in a haystack but with molecules you can’t see,” said her adviser, associate professor Matthew Barber. Now preparing to open her own lab, Kowalski is continuing to explore how our skin’s fungal residents might help us combat one of modern medicine’s most pressing threats.

Good News

The Vanishing Hero

From Montreal comes a story that borders on the mythical—an anonymous hero who gave everything to save a stranger’s life, then disappeared without a trace. During a routine walk through Jarry Park, 86-year-old Sabato Borrelli collapsed from cardiac arrest. Out of nowhere, someone stepped in—performed CPR for 20 relentless minutes, called 911, and refused to stop until paramedics arrived. Then, just as quietly, the lifesaver vanished into the crowd. “This gentleman, or woman or child—I don’t know who saved my father,” said Sabato’s daughter, Gloria. “All they wanted was this person to have a chance and he was given that chance.”

Unlike scenes in medical dramas where CPR ends after a few dramatic moments, this stranger stayed, committed through every compression. Sabato not only survived but lived to celebrate his 87th birthday this past weekend, though he remains in the hospital after suffering a second cardiac arrest. His daughter Lucy Orfeo, who was by his side when he woke up, called it a deeply emotional moment—especially after losing her own daughter to sudden cardiac arrest years ago. “‘If you’re kind you can change the world,’ that’s what she would say,” Orfeo recalled. “That was her thing, so it’s kind of like what’s fueling me.” Now, the family is searching for the unknown hero who gave them more time.

CBC News consulted Dr. François de Champlain, an emergency physician, who emphasized that anyone can be that lifesaving stranger—if they act fast. “If the citizen as a Good Samaritan doesn’t act right now before the first responder and the ambulance comes in, the chance of survival is essentially zero,” he explained. Step one: call 911. Dispatchers will walk you through CPR or how to use a defibrillator. For the compressions, de Champlain says go right in the center of the chest, elbows locked, one hand over the other—and keep a steady rhythm with a familiar beat: “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees. Yes, literally. 100 to 120 beats per minute. The song’s title has never felt more appropriate.

World News

3,000 Years Old Tombs

Three ancient tombs—quiet monuments to once-powerful lives—have been unearthed in Luxor, Egypt, in a discovery announced by the Egyptian government. Found in the Dra’Abu El Naga necropolis, the tombs belong to three officials from Egypt’s New Kingdom period (1539 BCE to 1077 BCE), a time steeped in ritual, power, and devotion to the gods. This site lies not far from where archaeologists recently uncovered the tomb of Pharaoh Thutmose II. As history continues to claw its way out of the sands along the Nile, each new find adds to the rich tapestry of Egypt’s past.

The three officials—Amun-em-Ipet, Baki, and Es—served in the orbit of the mighty Temple of Amun, then regarded as the center of divine authority. “Inscriptions preserved inside the tombs allowed the excavation team to identify their names and roles,” said Mohamed Ismail Khaled, secretary-general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities. Es, notably, was a mayor of the northern oases, a scribe, and a temple supervisor—an ancient bureaucratic powerhouse. Baki managed grain collection and storage, a vital role in a society fueled by the Nile’s agricultural abundance. Amun-em-Ipet remains a mystery—his name suggests service to Amun, but records are scarce. All three were laid to rest in tombs that, while similar in design, reflect different lives and legacies.

Each tomb offers unique architectural insights. Amun-em-Ipet’s, though in poor condition, features a courtyard, an entrance, and a long hall ending in a niche. Baki’s tomb is larger, boasting a corridor-like courtyard and multiple rectangular halls leading to his burial space—perhaps a testament to his logistical importance. Es’s tomb stands apart with a small courtyard, a well, and a transverse hall opening to an unfinished chamber, suggesting both status and complexity. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, proud that the excavation was conducted by an all-Egyptian team, called the discovery a “significant” contribution to the country’s archaeological record. And yet, these finds—had they occurred in France or Texas—might flood headlines. In Egypt, land of pyramids and eternal sun, they quietly appear on the Ministry’s Instagram feed, scrolled past with barely a second glance.

Mind Stretchers

⁉️

I have no start, I have no end,
A circle true, a lifelong friend.
I whisper vows without a voice,
In love or style, I’m quite the choice.
What am I?

Yesterday’s Mind Stretchers:

— face to face! Chris Hostetler got this correct early! 🌞 

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