Me, Myself & My Microbiome

On average, five pounds of our body weight is made up of bacteria. But what are they doing there? Do they keep us healthy, make us sick, or are they just along for the ride? In this two-part episode, we will explore the mysterious and complex function of these microscopic critters that collectively make up our micro biome.

In part 1, we talk with Katie Pollard, a UCSF professor who studies the microbiome. Katie explains the current state of microbiome research and how critical her work is to forming appropriate conclusions about 
the relationship between our microbial ecosystem and disease.

In part 2, we take a plunge into a man's toilet bowl! (Not-so-average) Joe Hiatt shares an audio diary of his experiences with two extreme diets and the changes he sees in his microbiome. Join him as he chronicles both his bathroom habits along with his microbial diversity.

Click here for more information about the Pollard lab.

Click here to visit uBiome's company website.

Produced by Lynn Wang, Lay Kodama, Ryan Jones, Kathleen Molnar

With Editing help from Meryl Horn, and Nick Weiler. 

Cover art from the Genetic Science Learning Center, University of Utah, http://learn.genetics.utah.edu