Some Bacteria Have Lived in the Human Gut Since Before We Were Human

August 3, 2016 • by Marc Airhart

New study suggests that evolution plays a larger role than previously known in people's intestinal-microbe makeup.

Illustration of green and purple microbes enlarged under a microscope

Some of the bacteria in our guts were passed down over millions of years, since before we were human, suggesting that evolution plays a larger role than previously known in people's intestinal-microbe makeup, according to a new study in the journal Science.

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