Society for Science & the Public, which publishes Science News, uses cookies to personalize your experience and improve our services. For more information on how we use cookies on our websites, visit our Cookie Policy.
News Genetics

Evolution of gut bacteria tracks splits in primate species

Microbes may have played role in shaping ape, human evolution

silhouettes of primates

EASY RIDER  Gut bacteria have been passed down from the ancestors of humans and African apes for millennia, evolving alongside their hosts, says a new study that looked at bacteria from gorillas, bonobos, chimpanzees and humans. 

J. Segre and N. Salafsky/Science 2016 

By Amy McDermott

This article is only available to Science News subscribers.

Subscribers, enter your e-mail address to access our archives.

Not a subscriber?

Science News is a nonprofit.

Support us by subscribing now.

More Stories from Science News on Genetics

  1. Illustration of a modern human skull and a Neandertal skull
    Humans

    A gene tied to facial development hints humans domesticated themselves

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  2. devil worm
    Animals

    Devil worm genes hold clues for how some animals survive extreme heat

    By Sofie Bates
  3. Humans

    Why screening DNA for ‘designer babies’ probably won’t work

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  4. Florida carpenter ants
    Animals

    Flipping a molecular switch can turn warrior ants into foragers

    By Jake Buehler
  5. San hunter gatherers
    Humans

    Humans’ maternal ancestors may have arisen 200,000 years ago in southern Africa

    By Bruce Bower
  6. cancer cells illustration
    Health & Medicine

    A precision drug for prostate cancer may slow the disease’s spread

    By Sofie Bates
  7. Bronze Age skeleton
    Archaeology

    Ancient European households combined the rich and poor

    By Bruce Bower
  8. tardigrade
    Life

    How tardigrades protect their DNA to defy death

    By Tina Hesman Saey

From the Nature Index

Paid Content