In early May, Team uBiome attended SF Take Steps, a fundraising walk hosted by and benefiting the Northern California Chapter of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. While the walk successfully raised money for the hosting organization, it also served as a community-building event for people in the Bay Area who have been affected by irritable bowel disease...

Perhaps the most unconditional love we experience is from our dogs. Dogs see us at our best and our worst and never falter in their loyalty and affection. They are faithful companions, cuddly sleeping partners, energetic exercise buddies, and great listeners. More broadly, dogs can significantly aid in managing and mitigating their owner’s depression,...

You’ve probably heard of probiotics, living microorganisms that support a healthy digestive tract. Eating them, or having them inside your gut, can help your digestive system function more efficiently and may contribute to a healthier immune system, among other health benefits. But have you heard of prebiotics? According to the official definition,...

In our previous blog post –  which was also posted on Medium – we wrote about the use of 16S rRNA gene (“16S”) amplification and sequencing for the analysis of microbial communities, such as those found in our gut. One of the topics we wrote about was the reproducibility of 16S analysis. Reproducibility is how similar the outcome of a test is if you...

There’s nothing like a trip to the gynecologist to make you feel glamorous, right? There’s the expertly tailored paper gown and the equally fashionable paper throw to drape over our knees. And who needs high heels when we can slip our dainty feet into cold, metal stirrups? Okay, so maybe the thought of visiting the gynecologist ranks somewhere between...

From yeast infections to STIs, there’s a lot of info out there about how certain microbes can hurt our vaginal health. Growing up, some of us were taught that vaginas are inherently “dirty” and that we need to “clean” our vaginas with harsh soaps or douches. But the truth is just the opposite! Rather than harsh vaginal washes or flower-scented tampons—which...