Your gut bacteria can make you sick, but perhaps not how you would expect: they have an influence on your immune system and mental well-being. So, it’s quite scary to discover that many city dwellers have half the number of bacteria species compared to our primate cousins. This lower microbiome diversity are likely affecting us negatively, especially as the world becomes more urbanised. Some have argued that we may be experiencing more asthma and inflammatory disease cases because the good bacteria that help our immune systems have gone missing. Read full article here
Research
Researcher uses AI to make texts that are thousands of years old readable
The Gilgamesh Epic, the oldest work of world literature, has been brought back to life by LMU researchers in the Electronic Babylonian Literature project. Using their new Fragmentarium tool, they have discovered hundreds of manuscripts, including the most recent tablet of the Gilgamesh Epic which dates from 130 BC – thousands of years after the earliest known version. This shows how highly valued the Epic was, even at a late period. With the public release of the Fragmentarium, anyone can now explore the thousands of cuneiform fragments and explore the ancient Babylonian literature. Read full article here
Merv
March 12, 2023
