The toxic fungus Aspergillus flavus—known as the “Pharaoh’s Curse” due to its role in the deaths of archaeologists who opened the Tomb of Tutankhamun in the 1920s—could have cancer-fighting abilities. However, the research team confirmed that these RiPPs were only useful against leukemia cells, and appeared to have no impact on breast, liver, or lung cancer cells. “Cancer cells divide uncontrollably,” Gao said in a press statement. “Nature has given us this incredible pharmacy,” Gao said in a press statement. As engineers, we’re excited to keep exploring, learning from nature and using that knowledge to design better solutions.”What once was a pharaoh’s curse might one day turn out to be an oncologist’s blessing.