“The data might tell tales with preposterous plots, but they don't lie. They tell us that the citrus mealybug is a mash-up… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
“The team also worked out how the microbes were affecting the brain. Their main suspect was the vagus nerve. It's a long… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
“If I went to a library and lobbed a microbiology textbook out the window, I could easily concuss a passer-by. If I… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
“One bacterial species stood out, both for its protective powers and for its colour: blackish-purple, ominous but darkly beautiful. It was called… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
“The microbiome may vary from day to day, from sunrise to sunset, or even from meal to meal, but such variations are… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
“The variations that exist between the body parts dwarf those that exist between people. Put simply, the bacteria on your forearm are… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
“Drinking lots of alcohol makes the gut leakier, allowing microbes to more readily influence the brain. Could that help to explain why… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
“The world around us is a gigantic reservoir of potential microbial partners. Every mouthful could bring in new microbes that digest a… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
“bacteria are infinitely more versatile than we are. They are metabolic wizards that can digest everything from uranium to crude oil. They… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
“We have already seen how pliable the microbiome can be. It can change with a touch, with a meal, with a parasitic… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
“For example, all three partners cooperate to make nutrients. To create the amino acid phenylalanine, they need nine enzymes. Tremblaya can build… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
“The bacteria don't physically reshape the gut themselves. Instead, they work via their hosts. They are more management than labour. Lora Hooper… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
“When microbiologists first started cataloguing the human microbiome in its entirety they hoped to discover a "core" microbiome: a group of species… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
“John McCutcheon has worked out the origins of this weird hierarchy-and it's almost unbelievable in its twists and turns. It begins with… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
“Most animals can't tap into these open-source adaptations deliberately. The flies didn't seek out Spiroplasma to solve their worm problem. Woodrats didn't… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
“When Hamiltonella's genome was sequenced, the real reason behind the bacterium's protective powers became apparent: about half of its DNA actually belonged… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
“The citrus mealybug is a living matryoshka doll. It has bacteria living inside its cells, and those bacteria have more bacteria living… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
“And in maintaining such constancy, microbes are crucial. They affect the storage of fat. They help to replenish the linings of the… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
“Sixty years on, we know that HGT is one of the most profound aspects of bacterial life. It allows bacteria to evolve… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
“Drinking lots of alcohol makes the gut leakier, allowing microbes to more readily influence the brain. Could that help to explain why alcoholics often… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
“No, the algae were making something that killed the corals via their own microbes. That something turned out to be dissolved organic carbon (DOC);… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
“Patterson died in 2014 but Mazmanian is now carrying on his friend's work. His long-term goal is to develop a bacterium that people can… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
“Mucus is made from giant molecules called mucins, each consisting of a central protein backbone with thousands of sugar molecules branching off it. These… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
“The Earth is 4.54 billion years old. A span of time that big is too mind-boggling to comprehend, so let’s collapse the planet’s entire… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
“Many of the plants that the spider mite targets can release hydrogen cyanide when their tissues are breached. This substance is extraordinarily inimical to… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
“When microbiologists first started cataloguing the human microbiome in its entirety they hoped to discover a "core" microbiome: a group of species that everyone… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
“Most animals can't tap into these open-source adaptations deliberately. The flies didn't seek out Spiroplasma to solve their worm problem. Woodrats didn't go looking… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
“The variations that exist between the body parts dwarf those that exist between people. Put simply, the bacteria on your forearm are more similar… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
“It earns its keep. As it digests HMOs, B. infantis releases short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that feed an infant's gut cells - so while… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
“When Hamiltonella's genome was sequenced, the real reason behind the bacterium's protective powers became apparent: about half of its DNA actually belonged to a… — Ed Yong Copy Share Image
