Human microbiome evolution

Humans have a deep and complex relationship with microbes. Beyond disease, microbes also profoundly shape human health and behavior through their activity in the microbiome and their diverse roles in food and cuisine. And yet we know very little about the origin, evolution, or ecology of the trillions of microorganisms that call us home. Recent advances in genomic and proteomic technologies are opening up dramatic new opportunities to investigate the complex and diverse microbial communities that have long inhabited our human bodies and our food systems - both in sickness and in health. From infectious disease to the microbiome, microbes are the invisible and often overlooked figures that have profoundly shaped human culture and influenced the course of human history. Focusing on the long arc of human-microbial relationships preserved by ancient DNA over the past 100,000 years, this talk explores how emerging research on pathogen evolution and the recent loss of commensal microbes is changing how we understand human health – both today and in the past.