Bacteria must sense and respond to changes in their environment to survive, and their exterior membranes are their first line of defense. Exciting new research reveals a previously unappreciated aspect of this defense, which could be exploited to render antibiotic-resistant bacteria beatable. The research, publishing 19 December in the open access journal PLOS Biology by Jean-François Collet at UCLouvain’s de Duve Institute in Belgium and colleagues from the University of Utah and Imperial College London, potentially opens the door to promising new treatments.