Revisited: Secrets of the gut microbiome – podcast

Ian Sample speaks to colorectal surgeon and researcher James Kinross about the miraculous world of our gut microbiome, how modern life is impacting it, and what we can do to look after it

Because of industrial action taking place by members of the National Union of Journalists at the Guardian and Observer this week, we are re-running an episode from earlier in the year. For more information please head to theguardian.com. We'll be back with new episodes soon.

This episode originally ran on Tuesday 23 January 2024

The trillions of microbes living on and inside the human body are an important part of who we are, from mediating all our interactions with the environment to determining our cancer risk and influencing who we fall for. Scientists are only just beginning to decipher the species of bugs we share our lives with and how they shape us.