Cristina Dorador is conducting vital research in the Atacama Desert, the highest desert in the world, to find new antibiotics that can combat the growing threat of drug-resistant superbugs. These superbugs are responsible for millions of deaths annually, making the search for effective treatments urgent. Dorador's work involves studying the unique microbial life in the desert's salt flats, which may hold the key to new, life-saving antibiotics. Additionally, her research raises concerns about the impact of lithium mining on the fragile ecosystem and Indigenous communities in the region. The delicate balance between scientific discovery and environmental preservation is a central theme of her mission.