Researchers have developed a new critical warning system for the spread of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) superbugs: poop and pee from airplane bathrooms.

Scientists predict that by 2050, AMR superbugs, or pathogens that don’t respond to antimicrobial medicines, might take more lives than cancer. As such, it’s critical for countries to keep an eye on the global propagation of these dangerous pathogens, which can travel with people, in order to best prepare for future infections. In a study published in May in the journal Microbiology Spectrum, a team of international researchers suggests that aircraft toilet wastewater could warn authorities about the arrival of such superbugs.

“Long-haul flight aircraft wastewater may serve as a representative microbial footprint, often of mixed countr

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