Microbiome | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/microbiome/RSS feed for MicrobiomeenThu, 04 Jun 2026 19:02:45 +0000Scientists Made Sourdough Bread With Yeast Found on Ötzi the Iceman’s Mummified Bodyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-made-sourdough-bread-with-yeast-found-on-otzi-the-icemans-mummified-body-180988894/Discovered in the Alps in 1991, the remains are home to a wide variety of bacteria, fungi and yeastsThu, 04 Jun 2026 19:02:45 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-made-sourdough-bread-with-yeast-found-on-otzi-the-icemans-mummified-body-180988894/Why Do Cows Burp Up So Much Planet-Warming Methane? A Newly Discovered Structure in Their Gut Microbes Could Be a Culprithttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-do-cows-burp-up-so-much-planet-warming-methane-a-newly-discovered-structure-in-their-gut-microbes-could-be-a-culprit-180988664/The "hydrogenobody" is an organelle inside certain microorganisms that live in a special stomach chamber in cattle, sheep and goats, according to a new studyMon, 04 May 2026 16:02:09 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-do-cows-burp-up-so-much-planet-warming-methane-a-newly-discovered-structure-in-their-gut-microbes-could-be-a-culprit-180988664/Some Antibiotic Drugs Can Alter Your Gut Microbiome for Up to Eight Years, New Research Suggestshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/some-antibiotic-drugs-can-alter-your-gut-microbiome-for-up-to-eight-years-new-reserach-suggests-180988351/Just a single course of treatment can leave a lasting impression, according to a study of nearly 15,000 people in SwedenWed, 18 Mar 2026 16:13:48 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/some-antibiotic-drugs-can-alter-your-gut-microbiome-for-up-to-eight-years-new-reserach-suggests-180988351/How Often Do You Fart? This 'Smart Underwear' Can Keep Track, Because Figuring Out a Baseline Is Important for Sciencehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-many-times-a-day-do-you-fart-this-smart-underwear-can-keep-track-and-figuring-out-a-baseline-is-important-for-science-180988198/Researchers have launched a study to find a typical range for flatulence, which has been harder to measure than you might expectTue, 17 Feb 2026 17:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-many-times-a-day-do-you-fart-this-smart-underwear-can-keep-track-and-figuring-out-a-baseline-is-important-for-science-180988198/Scientists Studied the Genes of a Woman Who Lived 117 Years. Here's What They Learnedhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-studied-the-genes-of-a-woman-who-lived-117-years-heres-what-they-learned-180987412/Maria Branyas Morera, formerly the world’s oldest person, allowed researchers to take a detailed look at her biology before she died last yearMon, 29 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-studied-the-genes-of-a-woman-who-lived-117-years-heres-what-they-learned-180987412/Scientists Investigate the Bacteria That Colonized Extinct Mammoths—and Uncover the Oldest Known Microbial DNA From a Hosthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-investigate-the-bacteria-that-colonized-extinct-mammoths-and-uncover-the-oldest-known-microbial-dna-from-a-host-180987299/Some of the microbes might have been benign or helpful, while others could have caused deadly diseasesMon, 08 Sep 2025 18:32:42 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-investigate-the-bacteria-that-colonized-extinct-mammoths-and-uncover-the-oldest-known-microbial-dna-from-a-host-180987299/Scientists Find Links to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in Genes and in the Gut Microbiomehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-find-links-to-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-in-genes-and-in-the-gut-microbiome-180987141/Two studies present new data on ME/CFS, offering "credibility and validity" to the experiences of patients struggling with symptomsTue, 12 Aug 2025 17:55:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-find-links-to-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-in-genes-and-in-the-gut-microbiome-180987141/A Brief and Amazing History of Our Search for Life in the Cloudshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-brief-and-amazing-history-of-our-search-for-life-in-the-clouds-180985981/By collecting samples after climbing a high peak and firing rockets with special traps into the upper atmosphere, scientists have found microbes living in thin airTue, 25 Feb 2025 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-brief-and-amazing-history-of-our-search-for-life-in-the-clouds-180985981/Couples Exchange Bacteria During Intercourse, Known as the 'Sexome.' It Might Help Track Down Sexual Assault Perpetratorshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/couples-exchange-bacteria-during-intercourse-known-as-the-sexome-it-might-help-track-down-sexual-assault-perpetrators-180986068/In a study of 12 heterosexual couples, researchers noted the presence of a partner's genital bacteria after sex, even when the pair used a condomTue, 18 Feb 2025 19:40:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/couples-exchange-bacteria-during-intercourse-known-as-the-sexome-it-might-help-track-down-sexual-assault-perpetrators-180986068/Gut Microbes Could Help Diagnose Autism, Study Suggestshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/gut-microbes-could-help-diagnose-autism-study-suggests-180984681/While more research is needed, scientists detected specific differences between the gut microbiomes of children with and without autismThu, 11 Jul 2024 18:31:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/gut-microbes-could-help-diagnose-autism-study-suggests-180984681/