Gut microbes that trace ancient human journeys
Image: Nature
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Coverage
Wires & papers of record
- Nature, Published online: 07 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02969-5 The Indigenous African Hadza and South American Tsimane share gut microorganisms that shed light on human dispersals and microbial losses in industrialized societies.
- Nature, Published online: 07 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11106-1 Microbial species disappearing from industrialized populations have evolved with humans over millennia and migrated worldwide with them—this may have consequences for human health.
- New research looks at the surprising similarities in the gut microbiomes of hunter-gathers in Tanzania and horticulturalists in Bolivia, and asks: What role do these bacteria play in human health?
- The microbiome isn’t what it used to be in many parts of the world. The shift of species may be affecting the well-being of people in industrialized countries.
More coverage
- As waves of humans left Africa tens of thousands of years ago, eventually populating the entire planet, they were joined on their world-conquering ride by the trillions of microorganisms that compose the gut microbiome.