Two television producers set out to make a film about crocodiles. Several months later, after much derring-do in the Australian outback hunting crocs, they returned with more than just a roll of videotape. They also brought back samples of crocodile blood that might, just might, provide the world with a new kind of antibiotic.

With the help of a scientist in the US, they analysed the blood and found it contained a unique agent which plays a key role in the crocodile’s defence against infection. If the agent lives up to its initial promise and can be developed for human use, it could one day help tackle the global problem of antibiotic resistance. They have called it Crocodillin. » Read more: Could a crocodile blood save your life?