Photo: Alligator Blood May Lead to Powerful New Antibiotics

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An alligator walks along the muddy bottom of the St. Mary's River on the Florida-Georgia border.

Proteins in alligator blood help the reptiles stave off fatal infections from injuries made during their violent fights over mates and territories, researchers announced on April 6, 2008. The blood proteins may one day lead to new drugs for fighting infections in humans.

Photograph by Melissa Farlow

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