Gut reaction in a complex ecosystem

Richard Collins delves into the poorly understood world of gut bacteria

OUR poor tummies are getting back to normal after the punishing festival ordeal. Digesting so much food is no mean feat, but most of us take the great binge in our strides.

We don’t manage it on our own, however; a huge retinue of devoted servants, the gut bacteria, help us out. These creatures live in a mysterious and poorly-understood world deep inside us — the realm of inner space.