Women who are overweight during pregnancy often deliver large babies by cesarean section, who have a greater chance of becoming overweight themselves as they grow older. A popular explanation for this mother-infant transmission of overweight is that the mother vaginally transfers "obesogenic" bacteria to her... click to read more

Have you taken an antibiotic lately? You're not alone. Almost one in two people will have been dosed with an antibiotic over the last year. Unfortunately, all this antibiotic use is causing the bacteria to become more and more resistant to the drug's effects. We... click to read more

Our intestine is inhabited by a large and diverse community of microbes, collectively referred to as the gut microbiota, composed of more than a thousand different species. We (the host) and our microbiota coexist for better or worse. On one hand, maintaining a healthy relationship... click to read more

There is a microscopic society living within us. Our bodies are home to more than 100 trillion microorganisms, similar to the number of human cells in the body. Many of them reside in our gut. Most of the time, this microsociety - which includes hundreds... click to read more

As scientists, we often think of bacteria as free-swimming, lone cells, growing in test tubes. Indeed, the majority of experiments are performed in this kind of environment. However, in reality, bacteria often grow in groups of cells, attached to surfaces. These cellular communities are social;... click to read more