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A small antibiotic called plectasin uses an innovative mechanism to kill bacteria. By assembling into large structures, plectasin latches onto its target on the bacterial cell surface comparable to how both sides of Velcro form a bond.

A small antibiotic called plectasin uses an innovative mechanism to kill bacteria. By assembling into large structures, plectasin latches onto its target on the bacterial cell surface, similar to how both sides of Velcro form a bond.

Loading video... VIDEO: This is a high-speed Atomic Force Microscope movie of the first steps of viral self-assembly. It shows how a hexamer at the edge of the growing lattice gradually forms from... view more  Credit: Wouter Roos, University of Groningen The reproductive cycle of viruses requires self-assembly, maturation of virus particles and, after infection, the release of genetic material into a host cell. New physics-based technologies allow scientists to study the dynamics of thi...