![SMALL WONDER](https://cdn.magzter.com/1422886351/1718606095/articles/DmwoJimse1718617463814/SMALL-WONDER.jpg)
Scientists in Texas have created "molecular machines" that drill into bacteria.
Ana Santos, a microbiologist at Rice University, grew up in Cantanhede, a small city in Portugal that is known as a biotechnology hub and a source of good wine. When she was a child, her grandfather, who bound books for a living, was an energetic man who often rode his bicycle around town. But by 2019, his health had deteriorated and he depended on a catheter. One day, he spiked a fever; doctors found that his urinary tract was infected with a highly drug-resistant form of Klebsiella pneumoniae, a bacteria that is commonly found in the gut. None of their antibiotics could treat it. A few days later, he died. “There was literally nothing they could do for him,” Santos told me recently, fury in her voice. “A simple bacterial infection kills him? I thought medicine had dealt with that.”
At the time, Santos was at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Paris, studying genes that allow some bacteria to live longer than others. But after her grandfather’s death she decided to focus instead on new ways of killing pathogens. One problem with traditional antibiotics is that bacteria, which are always evolving, can develop resistance over time. To stay competitive in the arms race between bacteria and biotechnology, Santos reasoned, scientists might need entirely new weapons. She read in Nature that scientists at Rice, led by the chemist James Tour, had developed “molecular machines” that spun like microscopic drills and were roughly ten thousand times smaller than the width of a human hair—small enough to puncture and kill individual cells. Shortly thereafter, Santos moved to Houston to join Tour’s lab.
This story is from the June 24, 2024 edition of The New Yorker.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 24, 2024 edition of The New Yorker.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
![ANTIHERO](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8859/1751212/iZ_mJrjwf1719836837212/ANTIHERO.jpg)
ANTIHERO
“The Boys,” on Prime Video.
![HOW THE WEST WAS LONG](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8859/1751212/Vh1HXqPe-1719836720878/HOW-THE-WEST-WAS-LONG.jpg)
HOW THE WEST WAS LONG
“Horizon: An American Saga—Chapter 1.”
![WHEEL OF FORTUNE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8859/1751212/Tj0upTIEh1719836581848/WHEEL-OF-FORTUNE.jpg)
WHEEL OF FORTUNE
Taffy Brodesser-Akner weighs the cost of generational wealth.
![TWICE-TOLD TALES](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8859/1751212/FSnHEVQ2G1719836202950/TWICETOLD-TALES.jpg)
TWICE-TOLD TALES
The seditious writers who unravel their own stories.
![CASTING A LINE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8859/1751212/zYjGjav-D1719835755852/CASTING-A-LINE.jpg)
CASTING A LINE
The hard-bitten genius of Norman Maclean.
![TEARDROPS ON MY GUITAR](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8859/1751212/F4QZ49jIU1719835464335/TEARDROPS-ON-MY-GUITAR.jpg)
TEARDROPS ON MY GUITAR
Four years ago, when Ivan Cornejo was a junior in high school, he had a meeting with his family to announce that he was dropping out. His parents were alarmed, of course, but his older sister, Pamela, had a more sympathetic reaction, because she also happened to be his manager, and she knew that he wasn’t bluffing when he said that he had to focus on his career.
![THE HADAL ZONE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8859/1751212/KiyGvpfRQ1719834860480/THE-HADAL-ZONE.jpg)
THE HADAL ZONE
Arwen Rasmont waits hours at Keflavík International for his flight; they call it as he leaves the men’s room. He walks past the mirrored wall and is assaulted, as usual, by his dead father’s handsome image: high-arched nose, yellow hair.
![OPENING THEORY](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8859/1751212/9TQXbGoRi1719833635129/OPENING-THEORY.jpg)
OPENING THEORY
Ivan is standing on his own in the corner while the men from the chess club move the chairs and tables around.
![THE LAST RAVE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8859/1751212/nxcRM0EjJ1719831949168/THE-LAST-RAVE.jpg)
THE LAST RAVE
Remembering a summer of estrangement.
![КАНО](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8859/1751212/ImfnMwa-x1719830891222/.jpg)
КАНО
I’ve dated all kinds of women in my life,” the man said, “but I have to say I’ve never seen one as ugly as you.”