On the microbial adventures of pregnant women
Pregnancy transforms the body in remarkable ways. Some changes are obvious and you have heard of, like morning sickness and sudden cravings. Others are far
Bacteria in and on your body have huge impacts on your overall health. By breaking down food and waste of your body, they produce healthy molecules that affect your brain, heart, gut and muscles.
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The BacterialWorld and Health
Short-chain fatty acids: what gut bacteria make from fibre
Everything we eat comes into contact with the bacteria living in our gastrointestinal tract. Our commensal gut bacteria transform the incoming food into different molecules, with short-chain fatty acids being the most important ones. These small molecules interact with your gut as well as the rest of your body. Certain factors, like diet influence which molecules and how much of them gut microbes produce.
Microbes can help us achieve a sustainable planet
Microbes might just be the unseen heroes of sustainability! They impact everything from food production and healthcare to waste management and renewable energy. From producing eco-friendly materials and cleaning up pollution to helping fight climate change, microbes are essential in achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Read on to learn how they help us create a greener future.
How your immune system battles harmful bacteria every day
Your immune system is constantly patrolling your body, ensuring that it stays clean and free of disease. Every single day, every hour, every minute, pathogens are pouring in, attempting to call your body their home and cause disease. But your immune system has specialised drones who bring the fight directly to the intruders. These drones are the so-called complement system. They keep bacterial pathogens at bay to ensure that we stay healthy.
Microbial fermentation impacts our food, industry and health
Microbial fermentation is a metabolic process that impacts our food, health and many industries. Microbes degrade substrates and convert them into fermentation products, with different species producing unique products. This process is essential in food preservation, creating diverse and complex flavours in fermented foods. Additionally, the microbes involved in fermentation can have health benefits when consumed. Microbial fermentation also plays a significant role in industrial production.
How Bacterial Research Is Advancing Modern Science
Bacteria and microbes are versatile tools in life science research. Read about a few ways of how bacterial research helps modern science.
How bacteria in your gut microbiome defend pathogens
Bacteria in your gut microbiome help you digest your food, strengthen your immune system and keep you healthy. For this, your gut bacteria keep you free from gut pathogenic bacteria by fighting them with different weapons. Here, we explore some ways gut bacteria defend pathogens and how you can help them protect you.
Wolbachia bacteria in mosquitos protect us from nasty viruses
Some nasty viruses can live in mosquitos and get transported into our bodies, when these infected mosquitos bite us. Luckily, some bacteria have superpowers that can fight off these viruses. Find out how the bacterium Wolbachia protects both mosquitos and us from these nasty viruses.
6 books about bacteria every microbe lover should read
Microbes and bacteria affect our lives in every possible way. This is why we should all learn more about these fascinating organisms and how to make the best of their impact. Here, I share with you my favourite books about microbes in which you learn how our amazing microbial friends influence your health, body and the environment and even shaped human history.
How Microbes Clean our Drinking Water
Pathogens and dirty particles contaminate our water supply. But helpful microbes can remove harmful bacteria and pollutants and thus clean our drinking water.
Bacteria on your hands strengthen your unique skin microbiome
How often have you looked at your dirty hands and thought: “Better wash them to get rid of those bacteria!”. Actually, don’t rush to the nearest bathroom to wash them off. It turns out that every person always has bacteria on their hands. And these bacteria are part of everyone’s unique skin microbiome.
“Follow your gut instinct” – how your gut microbiome influences your mental health
The microbes in our gut produce many different metabolites that improve our health. Some of these can travel to the brain and influence our mood and emotions. Read on to find out how our gut microbiome influences our mental health.
Bacteria use capsules as micro-invisibility cloaks
When bacteria enter the human body, they are welcomed by our immune system that is ready to fight them off. However, some bacteria can put on invisibility cloaks that help them hide from the immune system. Thanks to this sugar coat – the so-called bacterial capsule – bacteria can sneak into our bodies, infect us and make us sick.
What’s in your yogurt?
Yogurt is a well-loved fermented dairy with lots of health benefits. It not only provides us with valuable proteins and immune-stimulating molecules, but can also carry probiotic organisms. Here, we will look at the advantages of adding yogurt to your diet plan and what bacteria have to do with producing this creamy white dream.
Microbial bioremediation: microbes cleaning-up our toxic messes
We have created a lot of toxin pollution. Now we need microbe’s help to degrade and remove toxic materials from our environment to make our planet greener.
Microbially Powered Meals: How microbes help make our foods
Microbes are everywhere, including our favorite foods. Learn how microbes help preserve foods while also adding flavors, textures, and nutrients to our meals.
Bacteria are key players in vaccine research
To fight nasty microorganisms, researchers need to come up with new strategies to develop vaccines. Turns out bacteria are extremely helpful to researchers, since they provide valuable tools.
Learn how researchers use bacteria to find new vaccines.
Of microbots and bacterial ghosts – How bacteria could transport drugs within our bodies
To overcome the medical problem of how drugs can reach a specific target within the body, researchers try to use new approaches. These are often based on bacteria or their products. Here, we will explore drug transport mechanisms for which we could use bacteria and their amazing superpowers.
You are what you eat: Gut bacteria share plant leftovers
When we eat plant products, we cannot always digest all their components. Instead, our gut bacteria love plant ploymers and start degrading and digesting them. And they share the leftover food with other bacteria, so that all of them together produce some very healthy molecules for us.
How bacteria reduce your cholesterol levels
Scientists have found bacteria in our guts that degrade cholesterol. These bacteria can reduce our overall cholesterol levels and might have health benefits for us.