05 Apr 2023

The Human-Valued Interest in Microbiome Science

The crucial links between human health, microbiomes, and the environment.

This talk explores the deep connections between human health, microbiomes, and their surrounding environments. It examines how microbiomes act as intermediaries in the interactions between humans and the natural world, shedding light on their vital role in tackling today’s health and sustainability challenges. The presentation underscores the value of interdisciplinary approaches, demonstrating how insights from microbiome research can enhance both human well-being and ecological balance.

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Dr. Stephanine Schnorr was formally trained as a biological anthropologist and human biologist, and has since pursued research on the topics of human diet in human evolutionary ecology. She studied in particular the capacity for digesting plant material from wild foods and how this is facilitated by both technology and the gut microbiome as auxiliary adaptive mechanisms in human health. She also examined ancient microbiomes from coprolite material and microbial mutualisms in arthropod and environmental contexts. Extending her interest in brain growth and nutrition acquisition traits among humans, Dr Schnorr began to explore the environmental provisioning of essential lipids from microbiomes. She then transitioned to microbial ecology in pursuit of answers to help reconcile the apparent discontinuity between the supply and demand of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in terrestrial ecosystems, drawing on her prior experience in human evolutionary theory and current perspectives on ecological networks.