In its long history of over 60 years The Journal of Antibiotics has been publishing many reports on the newly identified, or isolated bioactive natural products and utilized by many researchers as a latest catalogue of novel, bioactive natural products. Featuring this continued tradition of The Journal of Antibiotics, here we introduce select papers reporting newly-discovered or produced bioactive natural products.

The July 2013 issue of The Journal of Antibiotics presents Chemistry and Biology of secondary metabolites, natural product genomics, actinomycete bioactive metabolites — a tribute to Professor Leo Vining, in which Leo Vining's friends and past colleagues pay tribute to his legacy in a series of articles inspired by his vision and his example. The accompanying web focus brings together a collection of articles published in The Journal of Antibiotics, and other related publications.

The March 2013 special issue of The Journal of Antibiotics is dedicated to one of those practitioners of total synthesis of complex natural products, Professor Kuniaki Tatsuta, celebrating the 102 total syntheses that he has accomplished throughout his long career. The special issue features Professor Tatsuta's own review of the total syntheses of the 'big four' antibiotics, published alongside a full listing of the 102 total syntheses and schematic diagrams of their chemical structures. We are also pleased to present the accompanying web focus on the same topic, offering access to articles reporting on total synthesis from across Springer Nature.

The Journal of Antibiotics(JA) publishes articles with wide biological significance in the multidisciplinary field of antimicrobials. We have made some of the most popular and significant papers freely accessible for a limited time and invite readers to the special Web Focus: Recent hot articles from the Journal of Antibiotics. Here you will find a collection of 12 Original Research Articles and Reviews.

The April 2011 issue of The Journal of Antibiotics presents a Special Feature on Taxonomy and Ecology, the new section introduced to the journal to publish papers of taxonomical and ecological studies on microorganisms that produce discovered antibiotics and biologically active substances. The accompanying web focus brings together a collection of related articles that have been published in The Journal of Antibioticsover the past two years.

The January 2011 issue of The Journal of Antibiotics is dedicated to the memory of Professor. C. Richard Hutchinson, a pathfinder who made remarkable contributions to modern natural product biology. The special issue provides a diverse collection of Reviews, Original Research Articles and Notes on various aspects of natural product discovery, biosynthesis, engineering, and drug discovery and development, which have been passionately contributed by many of his former students, postdoctoral fellows, collaborators, colleagues and friends. Professor Hutchinson will be remembered for his strength of spirit, zeal for life and new experiences, and his boundless intellectual curiosity. As a tribute to Dr. Hutchinson's distinguished career, the accompanying web focus brings together a collection of articles published in The Journal of Antibiotics, and other related publications.

This Web Focus on Microorganisms in Recent Drug Discovery from The Journal of Antibiotics brings together various studies of microorganisms that have contributed to recent developments in drug discovery. From traditional studies of microorganisms as sources of therapeutic efficacy to new approaches that focus on biosynthesis or screening, the collection of articles provides a perspective on how studies of antibiotics and microorganisms have contributed to drug discovery, and puts forward ideas on how research directions might change in the future.

The August 2010 special issue of The Journal of Antibiotics celebrates Dr. Arnold Demain – 60 years in a scientific career. Throughout his career, Dr. Demain has established and maintained a renowned reputation within the field of industrial microbiology. As a tribute to Dr. Demain’s successful career, this web focus brings together a collection of articles published in The Journal of Antibiotics, some of which have been made free for a limited-time.

As one of the newest additions to the NPG portfolio, The Journal of Antibiotics is proud to present the Editor's Choice – a collection of articles spanning the scope of the journal and featuring these five topics: new anti-infective substances; structure determination/chemical synthesis; new bioactive substances (other than anti-infective); microbial genetics/biosynthesis; and microbiology/fermentation/resistance.

Marine Microbial Natural Products web focus features a selection of articles on novel biologically-active compounds produced by marine or marine-derived microorganisms. Marine resources, such as marine microorganisms have a wealth of sources for the natural compounds and there is increasing interest in finding novel, biologically active chemicals with antiviral activity.