The microbiome It's on everyone's lips. Literally. There is, in fact, a world of microorganisms that populate the oral cavity, the intestine, the vagina... and that fulfill essential functions for the body. The scientific community knows that millions of bacteria, viruses, fungi or yeasts live in harmony within the body and work for life, but they do not know exactly how they do it, or to what extent their influence reaches. There is still much to discover, admits Mireia Vallès Colomer (33 years old, Vic, Barcelona), microbiologist and postdoctoral researcher at the Computational Metagenomics Laboratory of the University of Trento (Italy) and expert in the study of the impact of the intestinal microbiome on health: “It has gone from being completely ignored to being the solution to everything. I think the truth is in the middle: can help us with many diseases, but it is not going to be the solution on its own,” the researcher said in a videoconference interview with EL PAÍS, a few days before participating in a symposium on the microbiome organized by IrsiCaixa in Barcelona.
