Tag Archives: differences

Comparing the Western Infant Microbiome to Global Infant Microbiomes: Key Differences Explained

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Bifidobacteria bacteria under a scanning electron microscope

Scanning Electron Micrograph of Bifidobacteria – Key Genera Found in Infant Colon

Dr. Gary Gaugler/Science Photo Library

A groundbreaking study has uncovered significant variations in the gut microbiome among infants globally. Notably, Western infants tend to lack specific microbes that are prevalent in infants from other regions. This finding could enhance the development of probiotics tailored for premature babies to help ensure effective colonization with beneficial bacteria.

The first 1,000 days are critical for a child’s microbiome development, impacting immune function, mental health, and long-term disease risk. Historically, our knowledge has been limited to Western populations, but a new global atlas of the infant microbiome is now expanding our understanding.

The research, led by Yang Xiao and researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute in South Cambridgeshire, England, identified Bifidobacterium longum as a key player in establishing a stable gut microbiota.

The study analyzed stool samples from the UK, Sweden, the US, and seven countries in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, including Bangladesh, Pakistan, Kenya, Malawi, Burkina Faso, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

The focus was on two variants: B. longum longum and B. longum infantis, which have been the subject of most infant gut microbiome research to date. By integrating this data with previously sequenced genomes, the team discovered that about 70% of infants in African and South Asian countries carried B. longum infantis, while less than 2% of infants in the UK, US, and Sweden exhibited the same by two months of age.

“The infantis strain is fundamentally lacking in Western environments,” notes Xiao.

In stark contrast, around one-third of infants in Western countries are colonized by B. longum longum by two months, compared to fewer than 10% in the other regions studied.

This indicates diverse roles of B. longum longum and B. longum infantis in immune system development and protection against infections, which appear to thrive in different geographical environments.

Diet may play a significant role, as Bifidobacterium helps digest nutrients from breast milk, with its composition influenced by maternal diet. “B. longum longum adapts better to Western diets, while B. longum infantis is optimized for other regional diets,” Xiao explains. Other bacteria, such as Bifidobacterium breve, may also contribute to gut colonization.

This research significantly expands our understanding of gut microbiomes, particularly in underrepresented populations. Lindsay Hall at the University of Birmingham, UK, emphasizes the importance of this advancement.

While probiotics are not usually recommended for full-term infants, they can be beneficial for premature ones, as noted in health guidelines. Combining this research’s insights allows for tailored probiotics based on an infant’s region. For instance, B. longum infantis may be advantageous for infants in Africa and Asia but may not persist in Western infants’ guts as effectively. “Understanding bacterial diversity across regions is crucial for identifying the most beneficial probiotics for infants,” Hall concludes.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

New Study Reveals Differences Between Your Brain and Chimpanzees

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We share 98.8% of DNA with our closest living relatives, chimpanzees. However, despite this almost identical genetic blueprint, chimpanzees have not built civilizations, fought wars, or mastered the art of Tiktok dance routines.

But what exactly makes us stand out? Now, neuroscientists may finally have the answer.

New research published in the journal jneurosci looks at new data from the brains of humans, chimpanzees, and macaques.

“We were interested in finding things that ticked different brains.” Professor Logier Mars, the study co-author said to BBC Science Focus. “And the human brain is something we were particularly interested in, for obvious reasons.”

According to Mars, most studies comparing human brains with other animal brains tend to focus on factors such as overall size, the size of a particular region, or the number of neurons. “But our philosophy is that if we really want to understand what is going on, we need to look into how our brains are organized,” he said.

With that approach in mind, Mars and his team set out to investigate. Similar to the scans used in hospitals, published MRI data were used to create a “connectivity blueprint” for three different species of brains. These blueprints essentially map out whether different regions of the brain communicate with each other.

One area the team expected to find a difference was in the prefrontal cortex. This region is related to complex thinking, planning, and decision making.

This area, often referred to as the “personality center” of the brain, plays an important role in regulating emotions and teaching behaviors. At first glance, it seems to be an obvious place to search for the essence of what makes us human. In fact, this study revealed that this region exhibited more connectivity than in other species.

But was that the whole story?

This image highlights the (red) behavioral domains of the left and right hemispheres showing high divergence after comparison. -Bryant et al. , Jneurosci 2025

“The prefrontal cortex is where researchers tend to see when they look for something unique about humans,” Mars said. “But we have found a difference in many places in the cortex of time just above your ears.

Temporal cortex plays an important role in the processing of sensory information – especially visual, sound, and language. Given our highly social and cooperative nature, it is probably not surprising that these areas are connected more intricately in the human brain.

“We are a very social and cooperative species,” explained Mars. “So these properties are likely the driving force behind the changes we observe.”

All of these suggest that there is no single definition switch that makes humans human. Some believe that highly evolutionary events have led us to dominance, but reality can be more complicated.

Like relatives not too far in the trees, we are the result of the progressive, widespread evolutionary changes that have shaped us over time.

Or, as Mars said, “There’s nothing big that makes us different.”

About our experts

Rosier Mars is a professor of neuroscience at Oxford University. His work focuses on the differences between primate brains, especially humans. Mars’s research is published in the following journals: Natural Communication, Frontiers of human neuroscience, and Science.

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

New findings finally expose the true differences between male and female brains

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Since the beginning of time, men and women have tended to have different social roles, interests, and occupations. It is natural to think that perhaps these stem from innate differences in their brains and more obvious differences in their bodies. This idea has long been controversial, but now that ideas about gender are changing more rapidly than ever, the question of whether male and female brains are different has become more acute. There is. This remains a controversial issue even among neuroscientists. Nevertheless, they are finally cutting into historical discrimination and gender politics and trying to get to the truth.

Early measurements of skull volume showed that, on average, male brains are slightly larger and heavier than female brains. Some commentators argued that this “five ounce deficit” was the key to the man's superior abilities. In fact, the simple explanation is that the larger the body, the more brain tissue it requires to move it. This is a relationship found across animal species.

The situation became even more complicated in the 1990s with the advent of brain scanning technology, which suggested sex differences in the size of certain brain regions and structures. These findings often turned into compelling stories about, for example, why women are more empathetic on average or why men are more likely to become engineers. But studies from the early decades of brain scanning research should be taken with a pinch of salt, he says. leeds elliott at Rosalind Franklin University in Illinois. “When we control for brain size, all claims about volumetric differences in individual structures disappear…

Source: www.newscientist.com