Microbiome Self-Care: A Philosophical Perspective Author: Hub Zwart – Professor at Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam and Human Microbiome Action project’s memberPhilosophy is not the first thing that comes to mind when we think about microbiome research. Yet, there is more philosophy at work in microbiome research than we tend to think, while philosophical research may open…
Category: Blog
Why Isn’t Your Doctor Focusing on Your Microbiome? Author: Joël Doré – Research Director at France’s National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment and Human Microbiome Action project coordinatorDo you suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) that affects your daily life? Or perhaps your child has been diagnosed with Autism, and you’ve heard that…
How does climate change impact our coastal ecosystems? Written by Giorgia Palladino, Research Fellow, Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, as part of the CIRCLES projectAs we are in the middle of summer now, more and more people are enjoying the coast sides, the nice breeze, and beautiful beaches across Europe. Beneath the…
Why studying the microbiome matters – Unveiling the Hidden World of Microbes Written by Luigi Vezzulli from Università of Genova as part of the CIRCLES projectIn the realm of science, there exists a world that is both invisible and essential to our lives—the microbiome. The modern microbiome concept is defined as the sum of the…
Is high diversity always a good thing? Author: Caitlin Cowan, PhD – APC Microbiome IrelandThe theme of this year’s world microbiome day is diversity. Now more than ever, there’s no doubt that we are not the only ones thinking about this concept. But how do microbiome scientists define diversity? How do we measure it and how…
The era of –biotics Author: María Ángeles Núñez Sánchez, Centre for Research in VascularDid you know that each of us has a complex community of microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, and fungi) called “microbiota” that live inside our gut? I discovered this during my PhD, this sparked my interest and I quickly began learning about this new-ish…
Why do I eat fermented foods? Author: John Leech, University College CorkFermentation is almost as old as agriculture itself, with fermented foods dating back at least 9000 years. The earliest evidence we have for the production of these foods comes from Jihau in China, where an alcoholic drink, Mead, was produced in clay pots. The Egyptians…
Are viruses alive? Perhaps we’re asking the wrong question Axel_Kock/Shutterstock Hugh Harris, University College Cork Viruses are an inescapable part of life, especially in a global viral pandemic. Yet ask a roomful of scientists if viruses are alive and you’ll get a very mixed response.The truth is, we don’t fully understand viruses, and we’re still trying…
In defence of viruses Design Cells/Shutterstock Hugh Harris, University College Cork Every day, in countries all over the world, people are dying because of a new virus. This time they are dying from a new strain of coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2 that causes the acute respiratory disease known as COVID-19. And this is just the latest….
The Antimicrobial Resistance Apocalypse Author: Dhrati Patangia, APC Microbiome Ireland Date: 2nd July, 2019The human microbiota is the collection of all the microbes living within and on the human body. Most of these microbes live in our gastrointestinal tract. These bacteria in our body are like super-heroes owing to the work they do to help…