The Mysterious Case of the Missing Microbes

It is estimated that we, as modern people, have lost about half of the microbial species occupying our gastrointestinal (GI) tracts compared to indigenous populations who hunt and gather. Exposure to antibiotics, glyphosate residues in food, other herbicides/pesticides, synthetic sweeteners like aspartame, emulsifying agents in ice cream or salad dressings--we swim in a sea of microbiome disrupting factors. Among the consequences? Loss of a number of species crucial to health. We are j...