# Bacteria reinvent their weapons through selection, chance and gene swapping

- Source: Phys.org
- Published: 2026-10-23T20:00:01+00:00
- Category: Local
- Original: https://phys.org/news/2026-10-bacteria-reinvent-weapons-chance-gene.html
- Canonical: https://groundlevelnews.com/story/bacteria-reinvent-their-weapons-through-selection-chance-and-gene-swap-49935a/

Many of the most potent antibiotics originate from bacteria. A large proportion belong to a class of compounds known as nonribosomal peptides (NRP). They are produced by large bacterial enzyme machineries—the nonribosomal peptide synthetases, or NRPS for short. These function like molecular assembly lines: Similar to the stations in a car factory, where new parts are added to the car at each step,

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