taste of science: Bacteria and Balloons

Learning from Global Gut Microbiomes

Our guts are home to trillions of bacteria, and we're only beginning to understand how they interact with our bodies and each other. I'm studying how our gut microbiome has changed over time by looking at gut bacteria from different populations around the world. Specifically, I'll be talking about the gut microbiota of a hunter gatherer population in Tanzania, and how studying these bacteria can help us understand more about how gut microbes contribute to human health.

Speaker: Rebecca Gellman, Stanford

Balloons: Can they do the job of satellites?

Long-lived stratospheric balloons - What can they do? What are their limitations? Can you really steer them? Recent advances in solar power, battery density, and satellite communications have recently put balloons back in the running for use in communications, remote sensing, aerial imaging, drone delivery, and materials science research.

Speaker: Dan Bowen, Consultant