BBC Focus - 03.2020

DISCOVERIES

NOTAHEADACHE

Newresearchimproves

migraine knowledgep

MAGICMUSHROOMS

Psychedelicsboostcancer

patients’ wellbeingp

ABRIDGETOOFAR

Couldwebuilda bridgefrom

Ireland to Scotland?p

SHRIMPYDINNER

Cuttlefisheatlessforlunch

when shrimp’s for dinnerp

DesertfishMorethan10,000yearsago,therewaswaterintheSaharap21Byebye,babyWorldbirthrateshavedeclinedsincethe1960sp

Root of the problemPlanting a trillion trees may not be a good ideap24Pale blue dotThe story behind the imagep

HAVE GUT

BACTERIA,

W I L L T R AV E L

Ourancestors’gutmicrobiomemay

have helped them adapt to new areas

GETTY IMAGES

Ourfeetmaybemadefor

walkingbutit’sourgutbacteria

thatenabledustospreadso

fararoundtheglobe,according

toa newstudycarriedoutby

a teamofscientistsatNorth

CarolinaStateUniversityin

theUS.Theresearcherssuggest

thatourmicrobiomecould

havebeenthecrucialfactor

that allowed us to adapt and

surviveinnewlocations.The

hypothesessuggestedbythis

studystillneedtobetestedby

palaeoanthropologists,ecologists

andmedicalresearchers,butDr

RobDunn,thebiologistwholed

theteam,hopesit willshiftthe

emphasisoffutureresearch.

“We’rehopingthefindings

willchangesomequestions,and

that other researchers will study 2

Illustrationof

bacteriainthe

human gut