Pumping Breast Milk Changes Its Microbiome
Until relatively recently, most researchers thought that breast milk was sterile. But it turns out that, like most…
The Fascinating Link Between Gut Health and Cancer Treatment
Why do some therapies work wonders on some patients, but seem to have virtually no effect on others? Two fascinating…
A Fascinating Potential Link Between Gut Bacteria and Health
These days, you can’t throw a rock without hitting some start-up trying to boost our microbiomes. For the…
Scientists Made Music From the Human Microbiome, and It’s Seriously Cool
There are many mysteries of human biology. Among those perhaps least considered, what do our bodies sound like?
What Present-Day Hunter-Gatherers Can Tell Us About the Bacteria in Our Gut
The Hazda is a small group of hunter-gatherers living in the central Rift Valley of Tanzania, one of the few remaining…
Your Kitchen Sponge Contains More Bacteria Than Any Other Object in Your House
By this point, it shouldn’t surprise you to know that the world is full of bacteria. But the numbers can still be…
Certain Penis-Dwelling Bacteria Might Increase Your HIV Risk
HIV transmission is a complex process with factors beyond just who you sleep with and how. The virus ultimately needs…
Your Eyeballs May Be Covered in Disease-Fighting Bacteria
If the eyes are windows to the soul, they’re open windows, potentially letting in all kinds of unwelcome bugs. To…
Astronauts Are Going to Fill Outer Space With All Kinds of Weird Fungus
Humans will make outer space dirty.
Athlete Poop Won't Improve Your Athletic Performance
The human body isn’t just your cells, but a home for trillions of bacteria. We know that many of those bacteria serve…
How Pickles Got Caught Up in the Latest Health Fad
For 15 years, pickle makers from across the East Coast have gathered to celebrate brined vegetables at New York City’s…
Your Crappy American Diet Might Leave Your Gut Bacteria Stunted
Adopting a healthy lifestyle might not seem that hard on the outset. You ate a lot of cheeseburgers and drank a lot of…
Are You Your Microbiome? Ed Yong Explains It All
Writer Ed Yong has been chronicling the science of microbial life for years at such outlets as The New York Times, the A…
Your Belly Button Lint Makes a Beautiful Portrait as Unique as Your Fingerprint
Your belly button is teeming with microbial life—a mix of many different species unique to you. Brooklyn-based artist…
Deepak Chopra Thinks Stomach Bacteria Listens to Your Thoughts
Holistic health advocate Deepak Chopra is at it again, this time spouting his patented food nonsense at the “Fat Summit”…
There Are Some Seriously Psychedelic Bacteria Living on Your Teeth
Like every other surface of your body, your mouth is teeming with a panoply of bacteria. It’s a thought most of us try…
Your Colon May Be Home to an Entirely New Form of Life
A new genetic analysis of human gut bacteria is turning up some really weird critters—so weird, in fact, that some…
Sounds Gross, But Intestinal Worms Can Actually Be Good For You
Intestinal worms have an incredibly bad reputation. The thought of them sneaking around inside our bodies and eating us…
We're all Surrounded by a Personal Cloud of Bacteria
Bad news, hypochondriacs: You’re walking in a massive cloud of bacteria. In fact, it’s kinda an extension of your body,…
Your Burger Is Full of Living Things, Even If It's Vegetarian
We all have our personal feelings about how a burger should be cooked. But if there’s one thing that’s universally…