Microbiota: Little things with big impact

We are not alone. The human gastrointestinal tract (the gut) harbours a large number of living microorganisms. Trillions of these microorganisms play an important role in the state of our health – collectively they are called the “human microbiota”.

Every person has its own unique gut microbiota. In recent years, the gut microbiota has been considered as an essential part of the body, impacting human health and disease. The latest research links the gut microbiome to mental and brain health.

The links between gut microbiota and the brain

There is a lot more work that needs to be done to understand the gut microbiome but one aspect is well established: the gut microbiota and its functions have a very strong connection to human health.

This video explains the role of microbes that live on us and around us from cradle to grave. As you watch the video, pay attention to the factors that impact our microbiota composition and how microbiota composition changes from first few years of life to the older age.

Your task

If you wish, you could explore the Milestones in human microbiota research. Following this, you could pick one of the recent milestones and discuss its significance in the comments.