In an effort to better understand the ancestral state of the human distal gut microbiome, we
examine feces retrieved from archaeological contexts (coprolites). To accomplish this, we …

Background The Human Microbiome Project (HMP) is one of the US National Institutes of
Health Roadmap for Medical Research. Primary interests of the HMP include the …

Coprolites are fossilized feces that can be used to provide information on the composition of
the intestinal microbiota and, as we show, possibly on diet. We analyzed human coprolites …

Loss of gut microbial diversity,,,,–in industrial populations is associated with chronic
diseases, underscoring the importance of studying our ancestral gut microbiome. However …

A comprehensive view of our evolutionary history cannot ignore the ancestral features of our
gut microbiota. To provide some glimpse into the past, we searched for human gut …

Background Host-associated microbes comprise an integral part of animal digestive systems
and these interactions have a long evolutionary history. It has been hypothesized that the …

The process of natural mummification is a rare and unique process from which little is known
about the resulting microbial community structure. In the present study, we characterized the …

To date, characterization of ancient oral (dental calculus) and gut (coprolite) microbiota has
been primarily accomplished through a metataxonomic approach involving targeted …

Background Comparative data from non-human primates provide insight into the processes
that shaped the evolution of the human gut microbiome and highlight microbiome traits that …

Recent studies suggest that gut microbiomes of urban-industrialized societies are different
from those of traditional peoples. Here we examine the relationship between lifeways and …