microbiome
Microbiomes: the unseen majority of tiny little things
How do diverse microbial communities in seas and soils affect the climate? Scientists plead for an increase in microbiome research as part of global climate change investigations.
Prof. Tom Crowther: ‘Microbial soil life is crucial for climate regulation’
Ecologist Prof. Tom Crowther of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich and co-chair of the advisory board of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, speaks about climate change mapping and the role of soil biodiversity. As a global ecosystem scientist, you founded the Restor platform, an online hub known as the ‘google maps ...
Prof. Antje Boetius: ‘Being at the pulse of the ocean to better understand its role in climate change’
Prof. Antje Boetius, Director of the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, speaks about marine microbiomes and global warming. As a whaler, your grandpa already warned you about future threats to the ocean; as a scientist, you have studied the polar seas and marine microbiomes for more than 30 years. What ...
A scientist’s opinion : Interview with Dr Marike Kolossa-Gehring about Human Biomonitoring
Human Biomonitoring, a scientist’s opinion Interview with Dr Marike Kolossa-Gehring, biologist and toxicologist and got her PhD from the Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Germany. What is the HBM4EU mission and priorities? Marike Kolossa-Gehring: The mission of HBM4EU is to protect people in Europe from the exposure to hazardous chemicals and thereby improving human health. Pollutants like plasticisers, ...
Changing environment, changing health
Our environment and health are closely intertwined, and we must equip future generations with adaptive capacities to achieve sustainable human wellbeing on all fronts. One such environment is our chemical one. It is present in the products we use, the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe. Human biomonitoring is ...
A scientist’s opinion : Interview with Prof. Jana Klánová about Human Biomonitoring
Human Biomonitoring, a scientist’s opinion Interview with Prof. Jana Klánová, professor of environmental chemistry at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic, and a director of the RECETOX Centre of MU. Establishing exposure-health relationships seems like an enormous task. How are the teams actually going about this? Jana Klánová: This is not a task to be ...
EU Project : HBM4EU
HBM4EU is a joint effort of 30 countries, the European Environment Agency and the European Commission, co-funded under Horizon 2020. The initiative is coordinating and advancing human biomonitoring in Europe. HBM4EU is generating evidence of the actual exposure of citizens to chemicals and the possible health effects in order to support policy making. The HBM4EU ...
The Microbiome gut brain axis and the rise of psychobiotics
Communication between our gut and our brain is a two-way street. A large part of the signals being sent from our intestines to our brain is thanks to the bacteria living inside us, our microbiome. Our gut microbes have been linked to anxiety and depression. Research is ongoing to see if we can manipulate our bacterial populations to benefit our mental health.
