/newsroom/taxonomy/term/10334/all en /newsroom/channels/news/microbes-orbit-understanding-spaceflights-impact-gut-health-359028 <p>Scientists have uncovered how space travel profoundly alters the gut microbiome, yielding insights that could shape future space missions. </p> <p>The groundbreaking study, led by a UUÖ±²¥ researcher in collaboration with University College Dublin (UCD), NASA’s GeneLab and an international consortium, offers the most detailed profile to date of how space travel affects gut microbes. </p> Thu, 29 Aug 2024 15:45:37 +0000 keila.depape@mcgill.ca 314598 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/microplastics-are-harming-gut-health-348329 <p>Scientists have been worried about the potential harms of microplastics for years. These small plastic particles less than 5 mm in length have been found everywhere because of plastic pollution – from the Earth’s deep oceans to remote regions in Antarctica, and even the seafood we eat. But, are microplastics really harmful?</p> Mon, 15 May 2023 16:15:24 +0000 shirley.cardenas@mcgill.ca 300195 at /newsroom /newsroom/jesse-shapiro Tue, 21 Dec 2021 21:59:44 +0000 shirley.cardenas@mcgill.ca 283747 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/good-bacteria-breast-milk-changes-over-time-329084 <p>The cocktail of beneficial bacteria passed from mother to infant through breast milk changes significantly over time and could act like a daily booster shot for infant immunity and metabolism.</p> Mon, 22 Feb 2021 22:26:22 +0000 shirley.cardenas@mcgill.ca 256633 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/biodiversity-its-own-catalyst-point-328209 <p>For decades, scientists have wrestled with rival theories to explain how interactions between species, like competition, influence biodiversity. Tracking microbial life across the planet, researchers from UUÖ±²¥ show that biodiversity does in fact foster further diversity in microbiomes that are initially less diverse. However, diversity rates plateau with increased competition for survival and space in more diverse microbiomes.</p> Tue, 02 Feb 2021 15:09:56 +0000 shirley.cardenas@mcgill.ca 256584 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/prospects-new-treatments-diabetes-through-metabolic-products-intestinal-flora-320574 <p>In a study published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/pdf/S2211-1247(20)30091-7.pdf"><i>Cell Reports</i></a>, researchers at UUÖ±²¥, Kyoto University and INSERM/University of Paris show that an organic compound produced by the intestinal flora, the metabolite 4-Cresol, exhibits protective effects against type 1 and type 2 diabetes by stimulating the proliferation and function of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. These results pave the way for new therapeutic options that could improve the situation of millions of patients.</p> Wed, 19 Feb 2020 19:03:25 +0000 justin.dupuis@mcgill.ca 199034 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/secret-longevity-microbiome-and-gut-287429 <p>You are what you eat. Or so the saying goes. Science now tells us that we are what the bacteria living in our intestinal tract eat and this could have an influence on how well we age. Building on this, UUÖ±²¥ scientists fed fruit flies with a combination of probiotics and an herbal supplement called Triphala that was able to prolong the flies’ longevity by 60 % and protect them against chronic diseases associated with aging.</p> Wed, 30 May 2018 18:42:07 +0000 justin.dupuis@mcgill.ca 42149 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/plants-fungi-and-bacteria-work-together-clean-polluted-land-286247 <p><span>Highly complex interactions among roots, fungi and bacteria underlie the ability of some trees to clean polluted land, according to a novel study by bioinformatics and plant-biology experts from UUÖ±²¥ and Université de Montréal.</span></p> Tue, 27 Mar 2018 18:36:37 +0000 laurie.devine@mcgill.ca 35543 at /newsroom