Microbiome (Audio)

Humans have a deep and complex relationship with microbes. Beyond disease, microbes also profoundly shape human health and behavior through their activity in the microbiome and their diverse roles in food and cuisine. And yet we know very little about the origin, evolution, or ecology of the trillions of microorganisms that call us home. Christina Warinner of Harvard University discusses recent advances in genomic and proteomic technologies that are opening up dramatic new opportunities to investigate the complex and diverse microbial communities that have long inhabited our human bodies and our food systems - both in sickness and in health. From infectious disease to the microbiome, microbes are the invisible and often overlooked figures that have profoundly shaped human culture and influenced the course of human history. Warinner focuses on the long arc of human-microbial relationships preserved by ancient DNA over the past 100,000 years, and explores how emerging research on pathogen evolution and the recent loss of commensal microbes is changing how we understand human health – both today and in the past. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 41196]

In this program, Dr. Sean Spencer explores the healthy way in which carbohydrates are digested throughout the body. To understand this concept Dr. Spencer discusses the difference between digesting simple sugars and complex carbohydrates. Series: "Osher WISE: Well-being and Integrative Science for Everyone" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40774]

Dr. Sean Spencer talks about the vast microbial world that lives within our guts — known as the gut microbiome — and how it supports our health. Dr. Spencer emphasizes the importance of a high-fiber diet in creating a healthy gut microbiome which increases overall health. Series: "Osher WISE: Well-being and Integrative Science for Everyone" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40761]

Michael J. Corley, Ph.D., explores groundbreaking research on aging, the role of ancient viruses in our DNA, and the impact of the gut microbiome on longevity. Corley discusses how stress, diet, and exercise influence our genetic health, highlighting the complex interplay between environmental factors and our biological systems. The conversation also touches on individualized treatment strategies and the exciting potential of microbiome science in aging research. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40266]

A healthy microbiome can prevent disease and obesity. Dr. Sean Spencer discusses how a diet rich in fiber supports our health in various ways. Series: "Osher WISE: Well-being and Integrative Science for Everyone" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40458]

In this program, Dr. Jeffrey Gordon, Director of the Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology at Washington University and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography's 2024 recipient of the Nierenberg Prize for Science in the Public Interest, discusses his research into the microbiome. Gordon is credited with founding the field of gut microbiome research. His transformative studies have demonstrated that human health and disease are shaped by the communities of microbes that live in the human gut. His body of work has opened up the vast new therapeutic potential for the microbiome, exemplified by his identification of ways to repair the gut microbiomes of children with malnutrition and restore their healthy growth. Series: "Science in the Public Interest" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40154]

How can a healthy microbiome prevent disease? In this program, Dr. Sean Spencer talks about the vast microbial world that lives within our guts — known as the gut microbiome — and how it supports our health. He discusses the current evidence about how to nourish your microbiome to prevent and treat disease. Series: "Osher WISE: Well-being and Integrative Science for Everyone" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40074]

Human activities can increase levels of harmful microorganisms and pollutants in our water systems that have the potential to make us sick or threaten our food supply. Join microbial ecologist Dr. Sarah Allard as she presents emerging research from Scripps Oceanography that sheds light on seafood-related food borne illnesses. Series: "Jeffrey B. Graham Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 40082]

Water on Earth sustains and connects us, but human activities can increase levels of harmful microorganisms and pollutants in our water systems that have the potential to make us sick or threaten our food supply. Join microbial ecologist Dr. Sarah Allard as she presents emerging research from Scripps Oceanography that sheds light on how natural microbial systems respond to these harmful contaminants in systems as diverse as freshwater river ecosystems and marine invertebrate digestive tract microbiomes. Series: "Jeffrey B. Graham Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series" [Science] [Show ID: 39249]