Recent Discoveries and Potential Breakthroughs in Microbiome Health

<p>Our concept of what counts as &lsquo;us&rsquo; has changed a lot over the last 200 years.&nbsp;Before we&nbsp;<a href="https://medium.com/illumination/how-discovering-microbes-transformed-our-understanding-of-life-and-health-1574f075a3b4" rel="noopener">discovered microorganisms (aka microbes, microbiota or germs) in the mid-to-late 1800s</a>, we had no idea that our world was full of microscopic life.</p> <p>Fast forward to today, and we now know that&nbsp;<a href="https://medium.com/illumination/cooperation-and-competition-in-biology-and-evolution-part-11-you-an-ecosystem-for-microbes-a7c4d392a2cf" rel="noopener">good health relies on a vast network of microbes that call us home</a>. These microorganisms, such as bacteria, are collectively known as our &lsquo;microbiome&rsquo;. And combined with our microbiome, we are known as holobionts (more on this at the end of the article).</p> <p>Given the importance of microbiomes for holobionts like us, many researchers are studying how we can use this knowledge to improve our health. Today, I&rsquo;ll cover some recent discoveries and potential breakthroughs in these areas and what they could teach us about staying healthy.</p> <p><a href="https://medium.com/illumination-curated/recent-discoveries-and-potential-breakthroughs-in-microbiome-health-183b3145edb9"><strong>Website</strong></a></p>