CIMB Scientist is proving you are what you eat
In a study published in the May 20 issue of Science magazine, CIMB scientist Rob Knight worked with researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine to show that gut microbial communities in humans and in a sampling of a veritable Noah's arc collection of mammals play an important role. They carry out specific physiological functions depending on whether their hosts are carnivores, herbivores or omnivores.
The researchers sequenced the intestinal microbes in stool samples from 33 animals in the wild or in zoos, including giraffes, elephants and polar bears. Knight says it is the first time scientists have been able to pair a microbial community with a specific metabolic function. He is using this information to further his understanding of how human hereditary information is assembled and how it affects conditions like obesity and malnutrition. Read more