Listen to the episodeBacteria and the Origin of the Microbiome
Peder Worning
Peder Worning is a bioinformatician at Hvidovre Hospital, where he studies bacteriophages - virus that can destroy harmful bacteria.
Peder has been studying bacteria and their DNA since 1999.
He is the author of the popular book" Der er flere bakterier i ét gram lort end der er mennesker i hele verden" - "There is more bacteria in one gram of shit, than there are people in the world".
About the episode
Bacteria have been around for two billion years longer than any other life on Earth, and there are an estimated 10³⁰ of them alive today, a million times more than there are stars in the known universe. In this episode Peder Worning explains why, despite their reputation, the vast majority of bacteria have no interest in making us sick, and why the ones in our gut are essential for us rather than dangerous.
He also goes through why diversity matters more than specific species, how a modern processed diet works against that diversity, and what actually separates disease-causing bacteria from the beneficial ones that make up a healthy gut community.
05:45 - Why bacteria are more important then dangerous
14:30 - What are the gut bacteria functions
23:32 - How did the microbiome start
28:01 - Using virus to fight harmful bacteria
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