Scientists are developing a new generation of medicines that could fight malaria and babesiosis, two diseases caused by parasites that are becoming increasingly resistant to existing drugs. By studying natural compounds originally found in pine bark and marine sponges, researchers hope to create safer, more effective treatments that can overcome drug resistance and even stop the diseases from spreading. Malaria remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, killing hundreds of thousands of people every year, mainly in tropical regions. The first, called leelamine-derived isonitriles, is based on leelamine, a natural substance found in pine bark. Because malaria and babesiosis belong to the same family of parasites, the discoveries may eventually help treat other related diseases as well, including toxoplasmosis.