Coprolites from near the Turkey Pen site in Utah reveal ancient diets. RUSS BISHOP/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
Piles of ancient poop reveal ‘extinction event’ in human gut bacteria
May. 12, 2021 , 11:00 AM
Every meal you eat is digested with the help of the bountiful bacteria thronging your intestines. When you re done digesting, those bacteria are also part of what s excreted. Now, 1000-year-old piles of dried-out poop are offering insights into how the billions-strong bacterial ecosystems in the human gut have been altered by sanitation, processed foods, and antibiotics.
In a study published today in
Nature, researchers analyzed ancient DNA from coprolites, or preserved feces, found at the back of rock shelters in Utah and Mexico. The data give scientists their first good look at ancient gut bacterial communities, says Stanford University biologist Justin Sonnenburg. “These paleofeces are the equivalent of a time machine.”
Global study finds gut bacteria swap genes at different rates, depending on living situation nutraingredients.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nutraingredients.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Global study finds gut bacteria swap genes at different rates, depending on living situation A new study that examined the microbiomes of people living around the world has found that gut bacteria continuously acquire new functionality depending on host lifestyle and industrialization.
The research centers around horizontal gene transfer (HGT), a process in which individual cells mix their genomes and acquire new functions from other microbes, which happens without having to reproduce or be inherited. According to Mathilde Poyet, PhD, co-author of the study, HGT is key in understanding how bacteria evolve within us and how our daily activities and lifestyle choice may influence the composition of their genomes.
Thousands of different bacterial species live within the human gut. Most are beneficial, while others can be harmful. A new study from an MIT-led team has
International Study Reveals Higher Rates of Gene Transfer in the Industrialized Human Microbiome
April 1, 2021
Global Microbiome Conservancy Co-founder Mathilde Poyet, PhD, collects lifestyle data from Bedik villagers in Senegal. [Global Microbiome Conservancy; Photo by F. Rondon]
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The composition of the gut microbiome is altered by many factors including, but not limited to, diet, exercise, and antibiotic use. Now, the first major paper from the Global Microbiome Conservancy (GMbC), a consortium that is collecting microbiome samples from underrepresented human populations around the world in an effort to preserve bacterial species that are at risk of being lost as humanity becomes more exposed to industrialized diets and lifestyles globally, shows how industrialization has impacted the human gut ecosystem, resulting in altered microbiome composition and diversity.