Skin, mouth, lungs … it’s not just your gut that has a microbiome: ImageFlow/Shutterstock A lot has been written and said about the gut microbiome – the community of bacteria, viruses, fungi and archaea that lives in our intestines. But the gut is not the only place that has a microbiome. The mouth, nose, skin, …
3-D techniques shed light on what makes a bird’s lungs so efficient: A Cinnamon-Chested Bee-Eater is released after being ringed at the National Museum of Kenya. Luke Dray/Getty Images Birds are profoundly important animals. As predators, pollinators, seed dispersers, scavengers and ecosystem bioengineers, the world’s 11,000 species of birds play critical roles in the food …
This frog’s lungs act like noise cancelling headphones: Clever frog. Shutterstock/Martin Valigursky For us humans, having a conversation in a crowded room is challenging – it’s often called the cocktail party problem. The mix of sounds arriving at our eardrums needs to be analysed to pick out the sounds of individual talkers and that’s a …
Coronavirus has changed how we support people with failing lungs – a doctor explains why: A man wearing a continuous positive airway pressure mask – one of the techniques preferred over using a mechanical ventilator. Kiryl Lis/Shutterstock As the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic hits hospitals, the hiss and bubble of advanced respiratory support …