The Microbiome's Role

The gut microbiome may affect mate selection and evolution, reports Carrie Arnold at Scientific American. She notes that a 2010 experiment in Drosophila pseudoobscura found that changing the flies' diets altered their mate choices. More recently, Arnold adds, another study from Seth Bordenstein at Vanderbilt University showed that giving termites antibiotics affected both their gut bacteria and egg production. "Given the importance of the microbiome in human adaptations such as digestion, smell, and the immune system, it would appear very likely that the human microbiome has had an effect on speciation," Bordenstein tells Arnold.