It’s becoming increasingly evident that the effectiveness of existing antibiotics is under threat, and that there’s an urgent need to find new ones. If, like me, you thought this would be down to highly skilled and educated scientists, think again. Because thanks to the internet and a simple home pop up lab, anyone and everyone can do their bit.

UK-based Post/Biotics is encouraging anyone, including school children, to help find solutions to the growing antibiotics resistance crisis. Participants can test samples of anything they find in natural areas, and if their sample has antibacterial properties, the tool will change colour. They can then send results, along with a photo and GPS location to an online database. When the database notices a submission that may be interesting, it alerts researchers, who can then ask for samples.

Post/Biotics are using the power of an unlimited number of citizen scientists to increase the chances of making an antibiotic discovery. Are there other ways to harness the power of  the crowd like this, and could they be used to make money? I’m sure there are and they could.

www.post-biotics.com