Introducing large herbivores in Panama’s forests could fill the gap left by extinct species, new research suggests. A team from the University of Exeter say their findings can provide a “baseline” for future rewilding to restore the ecological functions lost with the extinction of prehistoric megafauna.  

A new study details how fecal transplants from older female mice significantly improve ovarian function and fertility in young mice. The surprising results reveal a direct link between the microbiome (the collection of all bacteria and other microbes present) of the gut and ovarian health and function.

“These findings suggest that there is two-way communication between the ovary and the microbiome and that this communication changes throughout life with age,” said USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology Associate Professor Bérénice Benayoun, the study’s senior author.

The study, which appears in the journal Nature Aging, joins a growing body of research on the microbiome and how it interacts with mental health, metabolism, cardiovascular disease and many other conditions in humans.

Future research will be needed to determine whether microbiome-based therapies could one day support fertility and healthy aging in women, Benayoun said.