Imagine if there were an organ in your body that weighed as much as your brain, that affected your health, your weight, and even your behavior. Wouldn’t you want to know more about it? There is such an organ — the collection of microbes in and on your body, your human microbiome.
Gut Check: Exploring Your Microbiome
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Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.7
(1,195 reviews)
Beginner level
No prior experience required
Flexible schedule
Approx. 13 hours
Learn at your own pace
95%
Most learners liked this course
What you'll learn
Explain the concept of the human microbiome and its role in human health and functioning
Describe the relationship between microbial genomes and human history, lifestyle, and health
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Assessments
6 assignments
Taught in English
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There are 6 modules in this course
Welcome Citizen Scientists! We're very pleased to have you join us on an exploration of the human microbiome. This is a fascinating area of study, and we hope you will find this six-module course worthwhile. Each module's content will be presented in similar fashion; our team will introduce topics by way of pre-recorded video lectures interspersed with guest interviews by subject matter experts. Module 1 will provide a broad overview about microbes and their diversity on earth and in the human body.
What's included
10 videos3 readings1 assignment1 peer review
In this module, we will dive into the fundamentals of how we study the human microbiome. We highlight recent advances in microbiome research methods and take you on a tour of the Knight lab. Please keep in mind, that Modules 2 and 3 are meant to provide a glimpse into our world of data generation and analysis. Modules 4, 5, and 6 will be less technical and provide a broad overview of fascinating research on the human microbiome. Stick with us!
What's included
9 videos2 readings1 assignment
This module highlights the basics of generating and analyzing microbiome data. We will also discuss how computational scientists are revolutionizing the development of tools for analyzing large, complex biological data sets and show you some of the cool ways that we visualize data! This module will help you understand data plots in later modules, but do not get discouraged if the material here is too technical, a full understanding is not required to complete the course!
What's included
7 videos2 readings1 assignment
Now that we've given you some background about the methods we use to analyze microbial data, it's time for us to talk more about recent discoveries in microbiome research. This module will focus on the main factors impacting the gut microbiota as well as the influence of the gut microbiota on nutrition and gut health. This is the fun part, so get excited!
What's included
8 videos1 reading1 assignment1 peer review
You're more than halfway through the course! We hope you've been learning lots of new, exciting things about the human gut microbiota! In this module, we'll shift the focus from nutrition and gut health to the rest of your body. How do your gut microbes and your immune system interact? What about your nervous system? Does the gut microbiota play a role in allergies and stress?
What's included
11 videos1 reading1 assignment
We will wrap up the course in this module by discussing what's in the American Gut. Rob will walk us through results from the American Gut Project and compare results from Jeff Leach and Michael Pollan. We will also hear from Michael Pollan on the importance of microbiome research and how it has changed the way he thinks about his health and what he eats.
What's included
8 videos4 readings1 assignment1 peer review
Instructors
Instructor ratings
4.7 (188 ratings)
Recommended if you're interested in Basic Science
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Johns Hopkins University
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
University of California San Diego
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4.7
1,195 reviews
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Showing 3 of 1195
NP
5
Reviewed on Sep 2, 2021
Great course, very helpful in my work, very knowledgeable instructors and latest research on the impact of human gut microbiome on our overall health. Thank you to the creators of the course!
GR
5
Reviewed on Jun 30, 2018
It was a good experience, and while I'm not too big on microbiology in general, I was intrigued in the role our microbiome plays in our lives. The summer I did this changed my life in a way. :)
SS
5
Reviewed on Nov 3, 2020
The course raised my level knowledge about Gut microbiology at its highest. even I inspired from the course and choose my research topic about the gut microbiology.
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