Uploaded February 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Over the last decade, researchers have begun to untangle the network of billions of bacteria, fungi, and microbes that live within our guts. It’s a monumental task that requires both new ways of thinking and specialized equipment. In his UChicago lab, Asst. Prof. Sam Light and his teammembers of his lab study these microbes by getting rid of the very gas that gives us life: oxygen. In a specialized chamber, they create an oxygen-free environment necessary to test microbes that live in our large intestines. Light and his team’s work has implications not only in understanding biology but in treating disease and enhancing health—from inflammatory bowel disease to Type II diabetes to liver disease.
Want a deeper dive? Read a Q&A with the experts in the video here: https://news.uchicago.edu/story/light-lab-understanding-gut-microbiome-treat-disease
The INSIDE THE LAB series gives audiences a first-hand look at the laboratories of researchers at the University of Chicago who are working to improve our world. Discover more labs at the series website: ms.spr.ly/6007mMbFB
➡ Subscribe: bit.ly/UCHICAGOytSubscribe
About #UChicago:
Since its founding in 1890, the University of Chicago has been a destination for rigorous inquiry and field-defining research. This transformative academic experience empowers students and scholars to challenge conventional thinking in pursuit of original ideas.
#UChicago on the Web:
Home: bit.ly/UCHICAGO-homepage
News: bit.ly/UCHICAGO-news
Facebook: bit.ly/UCHICAGO-FB
Twitter: bit.ly/UCHICAGO-TW
Instagram: bit.ly/UCHICAGO-IG
University of Chicago on YouTube:
youtube.com/uchicago
***
ACCESSIBILITY: If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please email digicomm@uchicago.edu.
Over the last decade, researchers have begun to untangle the network of billions of bacteria, fungi, and microbes that live within our guts. It’s a monumental task that requires both new ways of thinking and specialized equipment. In his UChicago lab, Asst. Prof. Sam Light and his teammembers of his lab study these microbes by getting rid of the very gas that gives us life: oxygen. In a specialized chamber, they create an oxygen-free environment necessary to test microbes that live in our large intestines. Light and his team’s work has implications not only in understanding biology but in treating disease and enhancing health—from inflammatory bowel disease to Type II diabetes to liver disease.
Want a deeper dive? Read a Q&A with the experts in the video here: https://news.uchicago.edu/story/light-lab-understanding-gut-microbiome-treat-disease
The INSIDE THE LAB series gives audiences a first-hand look at the laboratories of researchers at the University of Chicago who are working to improve our world. Discover more labs at the series website: ms.spr.ly/6007mMbFB
➡ Subscribe: bit.ly/UCHICAGOytSubscribe
About #UChicago:
Since its founding in 1890, the University of Chicago has been a destination for rigorous inquiry and field-defining research. This transformative academic experience empowers students and scholars to challenge conventional thinking in pursuit of original ideas.
#UChicago on the Web:
Home: bit.ly/UCHICAGO-homepage
News: bit.ly/UCHICAGO-news
Facebook: bit.ly/UCHICAGO-FB
Twitter: bit.ly/UCHICAGO-TW
Instagram: bit.ly/UCHICAGO-IG
University of Chicago on YouTube:
youtube.com/uchicago
***
ACCESSIBILITY: If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please email digicomm@uchicago.edu.
