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The research, conducted by scientists at the University of Cambridge and published in Nature Microbiology, examined how widespread synthetic chemicals affect the gut microbiome, which plays a crucial role in digestion, immune defence, metabolism and overall health. Indra Roux, Ph.D., of the University of Cambridge's MRC Toxicology Unit and the study's first author, said the findings were unexpected. Researchers warn this suggests environmental pollution may be indirectly contributing to the global antibiotic resistance crisis by training" bacteria to survive drug exposure even in the absence of antibiotics. "The real power of this large-scale study is that we now have the data to predict the effects of new chemicals, with the aim of moving to a future where new chemicals are safe by design," said Kiran Patil, Ph.D., the study's senior author."