The year in microbiomes
This year, scientists pegged microbes as important players in several aspects of human health
![micrograph of cells in mouse colon](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/box_microbiome.jpg?fit=860%2C460&ssl=1)
NOT SO SWEET In mouse colons, sugar-eating gut microbes encourage mutations in DNA (blue), which elevate cancer-related proteins (green). The result may explain carb-rich diets’ link to colon cancer — one of several findings this year linking the microbiome to human health.
ANTOANETA BELCHEVA AND ALBERTO MARTIN