We have trillions of microbes in our gut – and each do something different for our body.
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Articles on Microbiome
Displaying 1 - 20 of 134 articles
Mice given a faecal transplant from young mice, rejuvenated their brains and were better able to complete a maze task.
Potatoes contain many vitamins and nutrients which are essential for good health.
Glaciers aren't sterile wastelands – they're chock-full of microscopic life.
Invisible to the eye, the microbial life in the air around us can vary depending on our environment.
During a raging pandemic it is obviously worthwhile to use hand sanitisers, particularly when we are unable to wash our hands. But we should minimise their use when cases drop.
Rather than focusing on single foods for ‘gut health’, we’re better off having a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.
COVID-19 prevention measures are at odds with guidelines for healthy development of children’s immune systems. The result may be a cluster of youth with more allergies, asthma and autoimmune disease.
Fungi are a small but important part of the gut microbiome. A new study in mice shows that how much weight mice gain on a processed food diet depends on this fungal microbiome.
Microbes can alter the minds of mouse mothers and disrupt their natural instinct to nurture their young.
Whether or not you respond to a certain medicine or therapy doesn’t just depend on you. The microbes in your gut play a role in the success or failure of various drugs, including cancer therapies.
If you think only humans engage in disinformation, think again. Here is a stunning example of a beetle manipulating the odors emitted from a rotting corpse to keep it hidden from competitors.
The microbes in your gut influence how your immune system reacts to bacteria and viruses. A severe immune reaction is deadly; a small one lets the virus win. The right balance may depend on your diet.
If your gut is healthy to begin with, it will take more to knock it out of whack. Prepare yourself now by making food choices that feed the microbiome and enhance gut health.
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria is one of the greatest threats to public health. The bacteria are so pervasive, they’re spilling over to penguins, sea lions, wallabies and more.
Our gut microbes play a key role in sending and receiving signals that influence the brain.
The effect of a warmer climate on ecosystems and large and small vertebrates is being widely studied. But warmer temperatures seem to alter the microbes that live in and on these animals and plants.
Microbes in the gut aren’t just important for digesting your food. In pregnant women, these gut microbes are producing chemicals that are essential for proper brain development of the fetus.
Can a naturally occurring skin microbe help millions who suffer from eczema?
Just as humans can suffer from an imbalance of microbes in their gut, plants can suffer a similar syndrome in their leaves. This finding opens up new possibilities for improving food security.
Top contributors
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Professor of Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London
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Professor of Molecular and Genetic Epidemiology, University of Nottingham
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Professor of Molecular Evolution, Macquarie University
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Cheryl Power is a Friend of The Conversation.
Honorary Fellow in Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne
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Reader in Ageing Research, King's College London
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Senior Research Fellow, Deakin University
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Head, Epithelial Therapeutics Unit, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
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Professor of Pharmacology & Toxicology; author of Pleased to Meet Me: Genes, Germs, and the Curious Forces That Make Us Who We Are, Indiana University
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Assistant Professor of Neonatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham
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Professor of Pharmacology, Head of Pharmacology, UNSW
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Associate Professor, University of Sydney
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Researcher in Enteric Neuroscience and Autism, RMIT University
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Senior Lecturer and clinical academic gastroenterologist, Western Sydney University
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Consultant in Paediatric Infectious Diseases and General Paediatrics, Murdoch Children's Research Institute
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Visiting Research Fellow, King's College London
