Our guts are home to hundreds of microbial species (collectively called the gut microbiota) that are essential for normal digestion and immunity. What species are present and in what proportions can impact our ability to fight off pathogens, as well as our risk for obesity, metabolic disorders, and allergies. In fact, certain bacteria that can
At the height of the pandemic, when hospitals were packed with COVID-19 patients and people suffered feelings of isolation due to quarantine, many were desperate for a silver bullet to speed the return to normalcy. This sentiment, along with the rampant spread of misinformation online, fueled the promotion of “miracle cures” people claimed would stop
Insects comprise over half of all described species excluding bacteria and around 90% of the animals on Earth. They are so prevalent that we encounter them every day without thinking twice, and have evolved to live in nearly every imaginable habitat, from mountaintops to the depths of caves. How do insects survive in such harsh
A vessel is harpooned and infiltrated by an enemy, then robbed of its precious cargo – this imagery may call to mind Long John Silver or other fictional marauders, but these events happen every day, all around us, on a scale so small we cannot see it. I'm referring to microsporidia, a group of real-life,
