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.
University of California San Diego researchers have developed a new tool for understanding and modifying any microbiome, including the human microbiome. The approach, called Microbial Interaction and Niche Determination (MIND), ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 20, 2026
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Researchers at DTU have developed a new method that can reduce the time needed to find new bacteria for fermentation. They have now identified a bacterium that can be used both for acidification and to increase the vitamin ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 10, 2026
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Living with friends may quietly be altering your gut bacteria, according to a new study from the University of East Anglia. Research on a colony of tiny island birds reveals they share more of their gut bacteria with the ...
Ecology
Apr 10, 2026
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Sharing habitat with livestock is changing elephants' gut bacteria in ways that could be harmful to their health, according to new research conducted by San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance in collaboration with Save the Elephants. ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 8, 2026
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Cholera-causing bacteria are locked in an evolutionary arms race with a viral nemesis, according to a new genomic study. Researchers have found that, in the Ganges Delta, cholera bacteria rapidly gain and lose special armor ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 1, 2026
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10
In a new study, Northwestern University neurobiologists discovered that gut bacteria and the nose work together to shape social behavior in mice, including who fights and who backs down. Using a combination of genetic and ...
Ecology
Mar 30, 2026
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452
In their landmark 1961 paper on the lac operon, Nobel laureates François Jacob and Jacques Monod speculated that RNA might control gene activity in bacteria through base-pairing interactions. But once protein transcription ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 28, 2026
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A new study has for the first time elucidated the gut-liver immune regulatory axis jointly maintained by intestinal commensal bacteria and the intestinal endocrine system, and uncovered the fundamental mechanism underlying ...
Bio & Medicine
Mar 20, 2026
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540
When winter sets in and food becomes scarce, some mammals hibernate, entering a state of deep rest that slashes their energy needs and allows them to fast for months. However, fasting deprives them of essential nutrients, ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 12, 2026
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17
Depending on others for something you need may feel like a risky proposition—and perhaps a human one. It is actually a survival strategy found in the microbial world, and far more frequently than one might expect. Discovering ...
Ecology
Feb 24, 2026
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