Sciencebiotech
Gut microbes followed migrating humans across continents, new study
A recent study published in the journal Nature reveals surprising similarities in the gut microbiomes of the Hadza people in Tanzania and the Tsimane people in Bolivia. Despite being separated by thousands of miles and an ocean, these two rural communities share remarkable microbial traits in their digestive systems. Researchers suggest these shared gut bacteria may have ancient roots, coexisting with humans long before ancestral groups migrated and split across continents. These microbiomes also differed significantly from those of urban populations, raising questions about the health impacts of losing microbial diversity due to modern lifestyles.