Nearly half of all insects are herbivores, but their diets do not consist of only plant material. It is not uncommon for potentially harmful microorganisms to slip in during a feast. In a study published on January 19 in ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 19, 2017
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273
Life on Earth often depends on symbiotic relationships between microbes and other forms of life. A new theory suggests that researchers should consider how symbiotic microbes can influence the evolution of life on Earth, ...
Cell & Microbiology
May 24, 2016
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16
From the moment of birth, a newborn's gut is colonized by a diverse array of microbes that aid digestion and boost immunity. But it has not been clear how the newborn's immune system learns to tolerate the majority of these ...
Cell & Microbiology
May 5, 2016
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312
Scientists increasingly realize the importance of gut and other microbes to our health and well-being, but one UC Berkeley biologist is asking whether these microbes—our microbiota—might also have played a role in shaping ...
Evolution
Apr 21, 2016
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56
Each year, as bears prepare to hibernate, they gorge themselves on food to pack on fat. And yet, despite the rapid weight gain, the animals somehow avoid the health consequences so often associated with obesity in humans. ...
Cell & Microbiology
Feb 4, 2016
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126
Gut microbes are well known to contribute to health and disease, but what has been less clear is how the host controls gut microbes. A study published January 13 in Cell Host & Microbe now reveals that mice and humans produce ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 13, 2016
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161
The great whales are carnivores, feeding on tiny, shrimp-like animals such as krill. Moreover, the microbes that live in whales' guts—the microbiome—resemble those of other meat-eaters.
Plants & Animals
Oct 9, 2015
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27
Although serotonin is well known as a brain neurotransmitter, it is estimated that 90 percent of the body's serotonin is made in the digestive tract. In fact, altered levels of this peripheral serotonin have been linked to ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 9, 2015
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279
The warm soft folds of the intestines are teeming with thousands of species of bacteria. Collectively known as the gut microbiome, these microbes help break down food, synthesize vitamins, regulate weight and resist infection.
Plants & Animals
Mar 16, 2015
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17
Microbial partners are important for the nutrition of many insects. They help detoxify and digest food, but also provide essential nutrients that insects need in order to survive. The European firebug Pyrrhocoris apterus ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 1, 2014
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