Rob Knight: How our microbes make us who we are

Rob Knight is a pioneer in studying human microbes, the community of tiny single-cell organisms living inside our bodies that have a huge — and largely unexplored — role in our health. “The three pounds of microbes that you carry around with you might be more important than every single gene you carry around in your genome,” he says. Find out why.

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[emilywillen]

For anyone interested, Rob Knight also gives a free 6 week class on Coursera called "Gut Check: Exploring Your Microbiome", which you can take at anytime.

[RussFling]

I have recently gone back to school for microbiology, and I am amazed how ignorant I was to the microbial world living inside and on me!  This is a great Ted Talk shedding light on how microbes help us in countless ways.  It seems it is an exciting time to be a microbiologist!

[arthurdent]

These Ted talks are a gold mine for Science Fiction/ Fantasy writers. They explain their fields so well. 

[alanw]

This symbiotic relationship seems so understandable when you consider that the first 80% of earths life cycle were single cell bacteria. 

[devilside]

This is make human become more complex. I think this study was awesome. The world of microbe inside you define who you are.

[TimeShift]

Thank You Rob. I had heard of fecal transplants years ago but dismissed it as quackery. I can envision your research leading to one day taking a pill full of specific microbes that will cure diseases or perhaps undo some of the damage we humans have unknowingly inflicted on ourselves.

[sallysassa]

Rob Knight (born 1976 in Dunedin, New Zealand) Thank you - great info.

[tdreamgmail]

This tremendous groundbreaking work.  A rare return to form for TED talks, a talk about new discovery, not reinterpretations of an old anecdotal story.

I wonder if we can change our own microbal colonies by what we consume.  This is what generally happens when you introduce some new type of food, eg. fermented foods, sauerkraut or kim chi.  or probiotic yoghurt or kefir.  

I hoped he would go more in depth about how he managed to get the normal vaginal microbes onto his new born c sectioned baby.  

[vikinghealth]

This is such an exciting field! I can't wait for what the future will bring when it comes to microbial transplants. To this day there is so little we can for patients with digestive disorders

[CoiledDracca]

A good portion of me is not actually me... and you... Did you know it, I admit, I did, but I love videos that put it forward like this.

[TaroutCommodore]

Why are so many assholes complaining about his accent?
People have different accents you know that right?
Plus, if you're a scientist you get to speak HOWEVER because you're awesome :) 

[r.ridderbusch]

Thank you very much for your input in getting my daughter's paper published!

[sammy]

I watched this two and a half years aho and my mind was blown- im now at uni studying microbiology :)

[scottverbridge]

Great stuff! The 10:1 ratio for bacterial cells to "our" cells estimate has been revised, it's probably closer to 1:1. Otherwise great info!

[MonkeyKong]

you can buy yogurt with beneficial microbes but the microbes were selected by the yogurt company so that they have to keep being replenished by eating their yogurt on a regular basis

[Marsh]

Truly amazing, this could a radical start to many new treatments

[LemonNation]

So... when cannibals say they're going to eat someone to steal their powers, that might actually be what happens?

[williamnguyen]

I met him at school today, he was so interesting

[rahn]

To elaborate on his point that autism and gut bacteria might have a relation, is that there's some evidence to suggest that when a young child gets sick and is bombarded with antibiotics to combat the illness, their gut bacteria is severely disrupted; and that in certain cases one of the gut bacteria that comes to dominate the gut produces neuro-toxins as a waste product.  As a result that child will develop autism due to the neuro-toxin inhibiting the brain's development and function.  Another further correlation is that autism rates are higher in first world nations:  Countries that have high antibiotic use.

[arod]

I'm abit confuse of  how microbes could effect a person being odese or not. To my personal opinion I do believe obesity is cause by the person over eating habits (I have not reseach odesity topices since 10th grade, so my opinion can be easily be change with some good facts) Rob Knight is saying with the right microbes, it could cure illness. I believe that would be in anatomy field of science, and eating habits is in psychology. Could microbes effect both body and mind?