Two MIT researchers are working to map the human microbiome’s vast, unexplored diversity after discovering that most existing research excludes non-Western, non-white populations.
Scientists Race to Map Gut’s “Dark Matter”
There’s a hidden universe living inside you — and scientists have barely scratched its surface. According to The New York Times, researchers Mathilde Poyet and Mathieu Groussin, once postdoctoral fellows at MIT, stumbled onto a striking gap while studying the human microbiome: nearly all existing samples came from wealthy, Western, white populations.
“About 90 percent of all human diversity has been completely left out of the picture,” Groussin said. The pair likened it to shining a flashlight on one tiny section of a giant canvas — clear in that spot, but impossible to interpret without seeing the whole picture.
Scientists call this uncharted territory biology’s “dark matter.” The human body hosts more bacteria than there are stars in the Milky Way, spread across the skin, gut, mouth and beyond. These microbes have co-evolved with humans, shaping digestive and immune systems, influencing body size and shape, and possibly even affecting mood and behavior.
Yet most remain unidentified. Researchers have linked gut microbes to Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, Parkinson’s, dementia and autism, fueling hope for future treatments. Scientists are also digging through the enormous range of molecules microbes produce, searching for breakthroughs — from new medications to compounds that could break down pollution or restore damaged ecosystems.
The effort to fill in the missing 90 percent of the picture is only just beginning.
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