Microbiome News

07/02/2025

07/02/2025

Un simple changement de régime alimentaire pourrait-il transformer votre microbiome intestinal et réduire le risque de maladies chroniques que vous encourrez ? Voici les dernières recherches réalisées sur un régime qui s’inspire des modèles alimentaires non industrialisés.

31/12/2024

21/12/2024

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy Winter Solstice

21/12/2024

A new type of microscopic organism was just discovered in the human body:

Newly discovered organisms called obelisks are made up of tiny rings of genetic material. Obelisks can create their own proteins that are entirely new to science.

The team named their proteins “oblins.” Scientists are still figuring out what these proteins do and how obelisks interact with other organisms.

Obelisks require a microbial host cell for replication. The researchers identified one potential host for obelisks, a bacterium that is mostly found in our mouths. This bacterium is known as Streptococcus sanguinis, and it’s commonly found in dental plaque. It’s still a mystery where else obelisks are found, what they do to their host, and how they spread. Up until now, obelisks went unnoticed, and could be an entirely new class of life forms.

The discovery raises intriguing questions about the role of obelisks in human health, whether they might be harmful, beneficial, or merely passive inhabitants of our microbial ecosystem. There are trillions of tiny organisms in our gut that generally keep us healthy. However, if something upsets this balance, it could make us sick with conditions like diabetes and mood disorders. If obelisks prove to be parasitic, they might harm beneficial gut bacteria, disrupting the delicate ecosystem within the gut and potentially leading to health issues. Conversely, if they have a symbiotic relationship with their hosts, obelisks might contribute to the stability and diversity of the gut microbiome, possibly offering new avenues for therapeutic interventions

06/11/2024

Mental Health, Free Will, and Your Microbiome

“We are legion, each and every one of us. Always a ‘we’ and never a ‘me.’”

25/09/2024

The gut microbiome and chronic pain

Pain from conditions such as endometriosis could be alleviated if the gut’s resident bacteria can be understood and tamed.

Pain from conditions such as endometriosis could be alleviated if the gut’s resident bacteria can be understood and tamed.

25/09/2024

The brain has its own microbiome. Here's what it means for your health

Neuroscientists have been surprised to discover that the human brain is teeming with microbes, and we are beginning to suspect they could play a role in neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's

Neuroscientists have been surprised to discover that the human brain is teeming with microbes, and we are beginning to suspect they could play a role in neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's

25/09/2024

How the Microbiome Shields the Gut from Drug Damage

EMBL researchers uncover how gut bacteria collaborate to withstand the effects of medications, offering new insights into how we might minimize drug side effects in the future

25/09/2024

Understanding the microbiome of the foods we eat

Researchers have developed a 'food microbiome' database by sequencing the metagenomes of over 2500 different foods.

25/09/2024

Gut microbes may help chew your food

Duke researchers are exploring how the human gut microbiome affects digestion and f***l particle size. The study, led by Jeff Letourneau, PhD, while in the lab of Lawrence David, PhD, associate professor of molecular genetics and microbiology, examined how chewing efficiency and food processing impa...