Antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections killed more than 1.2 million people in 2019, becoming a leading cause of death worldwide. That’s according to a new study published in the British medical journal The Lancet, which warns bacteria are mutating to evade antibiotics at a much faster rate than previously known. Antibiotics are most widely used in the United States to promote the growth of pigs and cattle — rather than to treat infections in humans. Scientists have long warned that the overuse and misuse of antibiotics is pushing bacteria to evolve defenses against life-saving medications.