In Mental Floss, Rob Knight discusses the American Gut Project, and how it analyzes the micro biome with a fecal sample here: Scientists at UC San Diego Want You to Mail Them Your Poop
Poop. It’s fun to say, funny to talk about, and makes for an all-purpose emoji. But who wants to actually handle it?
Now, researchers of the American Gut Project at the University of California, San Diego, may be giving people new motivations to not only retain a stool sample, but pack it up and ship it to them. According to Inside Science, a team led by biologist Rob Knight is currently welcoming fecal samples from the public at large to analyze their microbiome profiles.
The microbiome is the assembly of bacteria, fungi, and other organisms that live in and on our bodies, which can change in response to lifestyle habits like diet and exercise. Recent research suggests that some microbiome profiles may make people predisposed to conditions like obesity and cancer, and might even influence our mental health. Altering the microbiome may have potentially beneficial health effects, which is why researchers like Knight are looking to collect data—in this case, poop.
“Your microbiome weighs about as much as your brain does—you’re talking about a couple of pounds of material,” Knight told Inside Science. “And it certainly has more cells, way more genes, arguably as much complexity as your brain. And we’re just starting to understand the far-reaching effects that it has on the rest of your body.”
