Tiny Tenants: Life With Our Microbes

Your body is a vast ecosystem. On you, and in you, lies a complex cornucopia of life - thousands of species of which you are just one. Who are these inhabitants, why are they so vital to you, and what happens when we disturb their delicate balance? In this talk we will discuss the microbes that make you. We will explore your mouth, guts, and skin, from a micro perspective, and investigate how we should look after our health by looking after our bacterial brethren.

We are more than just human; in fact, we are, in a sense, half microbe. Our bodies host billions of bacteria, fungi and viruses, collectively termed the microbiome. This complex community of microorganisms shape our immune responses, aid with digestion, and protect us from invading pathogens. In this talk, I will explore the incredible diversity of the microbes living both on and inside us, while also separating the facts from the fiction surrounding the rapidly growing microbiome industry.

We know evolution as the driving force behind life emerging, and allowing us to become humans over an incomprehensible length of time. But in microorganisms evolution happens in the blink of an eye in comparison. Being able to observe evolution happening in an experimental setting allows us to study a huge variety of things, including insights that can ultimately help us better treat infections in humans.