By Kanika Khanna
In this journey called life, we are not alone. We are inhabited by around 39 trillion microbial cells that account for ~57% of all cells in our body, making us half human and half microbes. This consortium of microbial species (including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and archaea) is referred to as the ‘human microbiome’ and the gut is home to more microbes than any other body part. Microbes present in the gut (and hence our poop) contribute to our health in a variety of ways including metabolism and immunity. (more…)