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Researchers discovered new microbial species and never-before-reported metagenomes from several African sites, according to Professor Scott Hazelhurst, senior scientist at the Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience (SBIMB) and Professor of Bioinformatics, Wits University, as reported in a January 30 2025 issue of Phys.org. The study adds high-quality genomes of 1,005 bacterial and 40,135 viral species.

 

We now know that geography largely shapes microbiome differences, with some species thriving in rural areas and others in industrialized settings,” says co-author Dr. Luicer Ingasia Olubayo of the SBIMB as quoted in the Phys.org report.

 

The study identified “food deserts” where there is a gross deficiency of healthier fresh produce and foods. In addition, there is the absence of important bacteria, Treponema, in urban participants. The study found that people living in food deserts have a “higher risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.”

 

Researchers have discovered that naturally occurring gut microbes produce indoles—compounds that play a key role in regulating anxiety-related brain activity, according to a February 17 2025 SciTech Daily report. Many gut microbes produce indole, including Escherichia coli, Bacteroides,Clostridium, Bifidobacterium, and Lactobacillus.

 

This discovery is based on research by scientists at Duke-NUS Medical School and the National Neuroscience Institute in their newly published study in EMBO Molecular Medicine. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is the brain region that processes emotions such as fear and anxiety.

 

The study found that the when the body and brain are exposed to live microbe metabolites, the SK2 channels prevent neurons from over-excitement, according to Sci-Tech Daily.

 

Professor Sven Pettersen, Singapore National Neuroscience Institute, believes it opens the therapeutic potential of targeting the gut-brain axis to treat anxiety-related disorders by restoring the microbe composition through dietary supplementation with indoles or by introducing indole-producing gut microbes as probiotics.

 

The SK2 channels, or small conductance calcium-activated potassium channels, are a type of potassium channel that regulates neuronal excitability.

 

Wikipedia further explains that their “activation limits the firing frequency and helps regulate hyper- polarization in the neurons of the central nervous system.

 

Researchers know that Akkermansia muciniphila (AM) feeds on sugar found in the mucus digestive system. Dr. Lucy Crouch of University of Birmingham led a pig model focused on 66 enzymes that the AM microbe uses to break down mucus that is an essential part of the mucus layer lining the human gastrointestinal tract.

 

Dr. Crouch and her team found that a combination of enzymes from AM were able to completely break down the mucin, the first understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind how a microbe breaks down sugars.

 
These microbes completely break down the glycan part of mucin, a receptor for a number of pathogens. These newly characterized enzymes may be used in characterizing the different glycans that humans produce, which can be indicative of disease.

 

“AM is a hugely important microbe, and levels of the microbe can be a good indicator of overall health,” adds Dr. Crouch.

 

 

Certain gut bacteria breaks down bile acids—substances produced by the liver to digest fats. During this process, gut bacteria create a compound called lithocholic acid (LCA), according to a January 10 2025 India Times report.

 

The report references a study that shows that LCA extends life in a mice study. They found that LCA mimics the effects of fasting; helping the body repair itself and manage energy more effectively.

 

Researchers discovered that LCA activates a protein called TULP3 inside our cells, which triggers the “fasting effect” of cell repair and energy management, according to the India Times report.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news/our-body-has-the-ultimate-chemical-that-can-make-us-live-longer-know-how/amp_articleshow/116951938.cms

 

 

 

 

The protozoan Tritrichomonas musculis (T. Mu) is a newly discovered gut microbe that facilitates communication between the gut and lung, according to University of Toronto researchers.

This strain of gut microbe in the lung immune environment, has both beneficial and detrimental effects on our respiratory health, adds the December 19 2025 Medical Express report.

 

University of Toronto researchers found T. mu managed immune changes in the lung, which worsened airway inflammation caused by T. mu but appears to protects against respiratory infections.

 

Kyle Burrows of Simon Fraser University and molecular geneticist Dr. Jun Liu of U. Toronto working together found that T. mu-colonized in mice served as an antimicrobial shield in the airways, helping to contain tuberculosis infections, according to the Medical Express report.

 

Melatonin plays a crucial role in regulating sleep through circadian rhythm modulation in humans and animals. Beyond its association with the pineal gland, it affects multiple organ systems, such as the gut-brain axis. 

 

The November 27 2024 report in Nature, suggests melatonin may be a therapeutic agent for various dysbiosis-associated conditions due to how it affects the intestinal microbiota.

 

What happens during the dark periods of winter?

Apparently a particular strain of gut bacteria aids in the production of melatonin, especially during the winter months.

 

A few bacteria and fungi also have been shown to synthesize melatonin, first discovered in 1995 with R. rubrum, an organism estimated to be 2 to 3.5 billion years old, and Porphyrobacter (formerly Erythrobacter) longus. These bacteria produce significantly more melatonin during extended periods of darkness compared with light periods.