A prize originally awarded to the solvers of a problem that had plagued sailors since the dawn of history is now being offered to the scientists, researchers, or rank amateurs who can steer mankind through the increasingly treacherous shoals of multidrug-resistant bacteria. The Longitude Prize 2014 challenges scientific professionals, backyard tinkerers, students, and entrepreneurs alike to come up with the solution to a simple but crucially important question: How can we prevent the continued rise of resistance to antibiotics?
The person or group who can create a point-of care test for bacterial infections that is "cheap, accurate, rapid and easy to use" and can guide clinicians in appropriate antibiotic selection will earn the £10 million (US $17.1 million) prize, backed by the Nesta foundation, Technology Strategy Board of the United Kingdom, and the British Broadcasting corporation…
