By On Monday, Feb. 13, the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences hosted an academic lecture in celebration of Darwin’s birthday, Feb. 12, 1809.
Seth Walk, a professor and researcher in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Montana State University, presented Darwinian thought and the microbiome zeitgeist. The goal of the talk was to discuss how Darwin’s theories relate to science today. Walk focused on the history of how microorganisms are studied in the human body.
Students at the lecture listened, laughed, took notes, and asked questions, giving the lecture a structure of a discussion rather than a typical talk. At the end of the lecture, students approached Walk, thanking him and asking more questions.
Elliot Wald, a junior biochemistry and molecular biology major with a minor in neuroscience, from Spokane, Washington, enjoyed the evening.
“I liked the talk, it was really interesting,” said Wald. “I don’t know much about big biology, so it was interesting to see how big biology theories apply to small biology and how they might need to change to understand concepts in microbiomes.”
Walk started the lecture with the invention of the first microscope. Then he discussed the focus on studying microscopic creatures that kill humans, like e coli. Eventually, humans started to look at the important organisms in our gut that help us live. He ended with what the future looks like by studying small organisms in our bodies.
Walk used his work as an example of where the field is going. He examined the microgut, which are tiny organisms in our digestive system. Everyone has a different microgut that keeps humans healthy.
Walk ended his presentation with a fun fact.
“You are more likely to find someone with the same fingerprint than the same microgut,” said Walk.
