The gastrointestinal microbiome as a biological process encompasses the dynamic interactions, succession, and functional activities of microbial communities residing along the digestive tract and their continuous crosstalk with the host. It involves microbial colonization, competition, and cooperation; fermentation of dietary substrates; synthesis and biotransformation of metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids and bile acid derivatives; modulation of epithelial barrier integrity; and regulation of local and systemic immune responses. This process is characterized by context-dependent compositional shifts (e.g., in response to diet, xenobiotics, and inflammation) that influence host metabolism, signaling pathways, and susceptibility to gastrointestinal and extraintestinal diseases.
For astronauts in space, constipation is a well-known problem. But why this happens has long been unclear. Now, a new study from the University of Copenhagen in collaboration with NASA provides an idea of what happens in ...
Space Exploration
Aug 14, 2026
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A joint research team—led by professor Young Seok Cho from the School of Medicine, alongside professor James J. Moon from the University of Michigan—has developed the world's first oral, microbiome-based nanomedicine. By ...
Bio & Medicine
Aug 11, 2026
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31
All living organisms need vitamin B12 to form red blood cells and DNA, as well as to build and support brain and nerve cells. But it's hard to come by: Humans don't make it. Animals don't make it. Plants don't make it. In ...
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 7, 2026
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171
Newborn German cockroaches use pheromones in cockroach feces to identify members of their own colony and form a kind of social bond, a discovery that could be used to improve pest control efforts.
Plants & Animals
Aug 5, 2026
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6
Biomedical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a method for systematically developing novel, complex combinations of probiotics and prebiotics to more effectively maintain gut health and treat various gastrointestinal ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 27, 2026
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Members of the Horse Microbiome Research Group recently published a new study in the Journal of Medical Microbiology, led by Dr. Joy Leng, who is currently undertaking the Alborada Well Foal 2 project. This research aims ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 21, 2026
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7
Microbial communities are considered particularly diverse—in soil, water and the human body. A common assumption in ecology is that the greater the diversity of available nutrients, the more species can coexist. A research ...
Ecology
Jul 20, 2026
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9
About half a million samples are collected from over-50s in Scotland each year in a highly successful NHS program that significantly boosts early cancer detection. But only a tiny amount of the sent-in poo—mixed with fluid—is ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 9, 2026
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6
Yeast has been growing in the guts of a frozen mummy called Oetzi the Iceman for thousands of years, scientists have discovered, telling AFP they used it to make a tasty sourdough bread.
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 4, 2026
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44
Probiotic supplements found in drugstores nationwide contain an assortment of microbes sold for specific health purposes despite limited understanding of the microbes' connections to their marketed use, new University of ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 18, 2026
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