The Royal Institution
B Brett Finlay discusses whether we have taken our war on germs a step too far.
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“Let Them Eat Dirt: How Microbes Can Make Your Child Healthier” by B Brett Finaly is available now – https://geni.us/AVt6RV8
Although hygiene and antibiotics have overall improved our health, we might have taken our war against germs too far. B Brett Finlay talks about why a little dirt and our microbes might be good for all of us, as he discusses his new book, Let Them Eat Dirt, co-authored with Marie-Claire Arrieta.
B Brett Finlay is co-director of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research’s Humans & the Microbiome program, and a microbiologist at the University of British Columbia.
Watch the Q&A here: https://youtu.be/rSwhS_HZWe4
This talk was filmed in the Royal Institution on 30 May 2017.
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thank you so much, this was really interesting!
World's getting older, people live longer, their microbiota get better, that all means – should! – world's getting smarter, too. But world vote Trump, vote Brexit, vote war, vote close not enter, vote wall after all… Paradox.
Dr. Finlay now is my spot in microbiology. Thanks Ri !
Btw, Ri, invite Phil Plait, an astronomer, very very Bad one ))) sometime.
How about Paleolithic poop? Could samples be used to cultivate an agar for a fecal transplant? Would there be any advantage to being exposed to the microbiome of a someone eating a true paleolithic diet? Could Paleolithic fecal matter be screened for unknown and now extinct bacterium that could cause diseases?
Well.. Those diseases on the rise are mostly caused by diet. Even Asthma can be improved by diet. You're just pulling that example out of nothing, that's not exactly science, more like trying to fit a random graph to fit your argument. Not trying to discount your point, I just don't like these fairy tail one trick pony examples, that are nowhere that simple in real life.
Could you explain what do the microbes living with the hybernating animals during winter? Do they hybernate too?
That sh't cures everything
fkshhR
One of the most interesting lectures I've ever seen! Thank you very very much!
Very interesting lecture!
Amazing insights. My question is, why did the public perception has changed so dramatically over the years about microbes and sanitary, where people have access to so much scientifically verified information (also in lay man friendly format)? And also given the shift of diseases ( to Diabetes etc.) but the absence of medical success in dealing with it effectively.
does anyone know the date and time this lecture was given? I'm using this for an assignment
Does the population increase from 1970 to 2000+ affect the charts?
Smart guy.
This guy is a Good sh&%,,,, but a bit specialized. lol
When I was maybe eight years old (1953) the doctor told my mother that eating about a teaspoon of dirt every day would keep me healthy. I grew up in the country and every year we planted a garden. One year the left half of the garden was fertilized with commercial fertilizer and the right half was fertilized with semi composted poop from the out house. Root crops went into the side with commercial fertilizer and the rest went into the poop side. The next year we switched sides, poop on the left an commercial on the right and crops switched also. Maybe that's why my siblings and I have always been very healthy.
Finlay talks about cleaning kid's "binky" soother in parents mouth as good at 46:24. While breastfeeding at the time of adding solid food….the mother should take a bite of the food herself, chew it then spit it onto a spoon and feed to her baby. I pre-chewed every bite for my kids first foods because it avoided canned baby food or frozen or blended processed junk…..WOW… better than I thought….who knew it was great for their microbes. Every mother should try this! It was easy, kids loved it.
So maybe my friends are actually smelling my dog's breath on my breath.
Brilliant talk…should be required viewing in schools.
A great resource and some really interesting research, but I am horrified by the idea that you would sever your vagus nerve. Meditation and breathing practices use the vagus nerve to hack into the bodies immune system, regulated breathing can resolve a huge amount of health conditions through this vital pathway. Look after your microbiome and breath properly and you can sustain great health benefits and it can be integrated into everyday life and costs you nothing.
What effect does your microbiome have on your response to vaccines. There is little research, but what there is suggests that having a stool analysis prior to having a vaccine, would provide a great baseline and underline the relationship it has on adverse events and common reactions. If this was then followed up with long term monitoring you could resolve the uncertainty that feeds the antivax movement. You could even look at resolving any imbalances identified in your gut biome before having the vaccine.
I wonder what impact would prolonged life in space station do to our symbiotes. Especially since you mentioned that they have way more genetic info than our cells.
Makes sense. Almost everyone I know that lived past 90 had a garden they actively were involved in. Think about it.
You are not a bad person, your microbes are. 😉
Measles, mumps, we don't get those anymore.
Anti-vaxxers: Hold my kombucha