The Secret Life of Your Gut Microbes

Trillions of bacteria and fungi live in your gut and quietly influence your health. They help you digest food, but they can also alter how medications work once they’re in your body, and even process metals—by absorbing the ones you need and excreting the ones you don’t.

To explore this hidden world, a few clever tricks are needed: scientists grow tiny, lab-made replicas of the gut outside the body and track invisible chemical traces to see where the metals end up.

Test your microbial instincts! Compete against gut bacteria in Gut Rush, take on the role of a detective in our Gut-on-Chip puzzle, and mix your own metal concoctions in the Isotope Mix Lab. You don’t need a lab coat—just curiosity!