A new theory is forming that platypus may be able to help us
begin to have a resistance to antibiotics. Lacking teats and nipples, when platypuses
give birth they secrete their milk to their young by sweating it out. The reasons
the rest of us mammals have teats or nipples is because it makes it a sterile
way to feed the milk to our children. Because the platypus has to sweat it out,
they have to be secreting something that helps prevent any infections their
young could get. Turns out they have some kind of antibacterial protein in
their milk. "We were interested to examine the protein's structure and
characteristics to find out exactly what part of the protein was doing what"
said a university professor working on this interesting find.
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