Suppose I were the head of an agency funding microbiological research, such as the National Institute of Health (NIH). In that case, I have a couple of research topics I’d be especially keen to fund over other projects. While ecology studies are neat and can lead to more outstanding scientific discoveries, I also do not…

I am setting a timer and listing all of the non-infectious diseases influenced by microorganisms that I can think of: Go! Comparing this to my list I made in week 1, I listed 5 more diseases than I did, and used 8 new diseases. I think the in-class examples of stomach ulcers and obesity being…

In this writing exercise, I will be discussing 5 key questions addressed in Hanage’s paper. Can experiments detect differences that matter? This question is a practical probe of the study’s findings. If the study can delineate a clear difference in the data between two groups from which research had previously been unable to separate, I…

The brain, the gut, and the gut’s internal microbiota all communicate as a part of the gut-brain-microbiota axis. Neurotransmitters from the brain and nervous system are sent down to the gut where the gut and bacteria receive and respond to the signal. Conversely, Bacteria in the gut can release signals that are then picked up…

Free-Write #1 I have learned a lot of things about how microbial communities and humans interact this term, which has enriched my current understanding of many biomedical concepts. For instance, I’ve learned plenty about the integument and the gastrointestinal tract, but I had not been forced to consider the impact of microbial communities on these…

In this week’s writing exercise, I am asked to reflect on potential factors/circumstances of childbirth and rearing that might modulate the transfer of microbial communities from mother to child. As we discussed in class, human beings are entirely sterile before exiting from the womb, or “birth” as we more commonly refer to it as. Any…

For this writing exercise, I will talk about my personal philosophy on whether or not I would take antibiotics, as well as when I believe it is appropriate to take antibiotics. I would undoubtedly take antibiotics when prescribed them by my primary care provider and have done so in the past. We discussed in class…

For this writing exercise, I will be talking about aspects of my food and nutrition that impact my microbial communities. There are many ways in which my nutritional choices might impact my microbial communities, both intentionally and non-intentionally. I often try to eat and drink many fermented goods such as yogurt and kombucha. These goods…

For this writing exercise, I will compose a rhetorical precis for the Siitonen et. al. article. Precis Siitonen and colleagues, researchers from various disciplines, asserted that ingestion of yogurt during a course of the antibiotic erythromycin reduces diarrheal symptoms. Siitonen and colleagues accomplished this by creating two groups that were on antibiotics and randomly assigning…

I am tasked with brainstorming a list of behaviors one could engage in that would change one’s gut microbiome. From this list, I will then pick three behaviors, discuss what effect they would have on the microbiome, and whether that impact would be good, bad, or neutral for the host. Behaviors Taking an antibiotic, such…