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Gut Check: Exploring Your Microbiome

Approx. 14 hours to complete

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Course Summary

This course provides an introduction to microbiome, the study of microorganisms that live in and around us. You will learn about the impact of microbiome on our health and the environment, and explore the latest research in the field.

Key Learning Points

Understand the basics of microbiome and its impact on human health and the environment
Explore the latest research in the field of microbiome
Learn about the tools and techniques used in microbiome research

Job Positions & Salaries of people who have taken this course might have

- USA: $70,000 - $120,000
- India: ₹5,00,000 - ₹10,00,000
- Spain: €30,000 - €50,000
- USA: $70,000 - $120,000
- India: ₹5,00,000 - ₹10,00,000
- Spain: €30,000 - €50,000
- USA: $60,000 - $100,000
- India: ₹4,00,000 - ₹8,00,000
- Spain: €25,000 - €40,000
- USA: $70,000 - $120,000
- India: ₹5,00,000 - ₹10,00,000
- Spain: €30,000 - €50,000
- USA: $60,000 - $100,000
- India: ₹4,00,000 - ₹8,00,000
- Spain: €25,000 - €40,000
- USA: $80,000 - $150,000
- India: ₹6,00,000 - ₹12,00,000
- Spain: €35,000 - €60,000

Learning Outcomes

Understand the basics of microbiome and its impact on human health and the environment
Learn about the latest research in the field of microbiome
Gain knowledge of the tools and techniques used in microbiome research

Prerequisites or good to have knowledge before taking this course

Basic knowledge of biology and microbiology
Access to a computer and internet connection

Course Difficulty Level

Beginner

Course Format

Online Self-paced
Video Lectures
Quizzes and Assignments

Similar Courses

Introduction to Bioinformatics
Human Anatomy
Environmental Science

Related Education Paths

Notable People in This Field

Jonathan Eisen
Eric Topol
Ed Yong

Related Books

Description

Imagine if there were an organ in your body that weighed as much as your brain, that affected your health, your weight, and even your behavior. Wouldn’t you want to know more about it? There is such an organ — the collection of microbes in and on your body, your human microbiome.

Outline

Introduction to Microbes and the Human Microbiome
Introduction
Welcome to the Course
What are Microbes?
Interview: Jack Gilbert
Interview: Valerie McKenzie
The Human Microbiome
Where Do You Get Your Microbes?
Web interview: Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello
Web interview: Elizabeth Costello
Rob's Module 1 wrap-up
About This Course
Assignments
Part 1: You and Your Gut
Introduction to Microbes and the Human Microbiome

Studying the Microbiome
How we study the microbiome: Introduction
The history of studying microbes with Norm Pace
Basics of high-throughput DNA sequencing
Demo: Tour of the Knight Lab
'Omics' and other useful technologies
Interview: Luke Thompson
Web interview: Janet Jansson
Web interview: Pieter Dorrestein
Rob's Module 2 wrap-up
Assignments
Part 1: You and Your Gut (continued)
Studying the Microbiome

Making Sense Out of Microbial Data
How do we identify a microbe?
Web interview: Philip Hugenholtz
Basics of alpha-diversity with fuzzy microbe demo
Beta-diversity, and visualizing differences
Demo: EMPeror, a QIIME visualization tool
Web interview: Gregory Caporaso
Rob's Week 3 wrap-up
Assignments
Part 1: You and Your Gut (continued)
Making Sense Out of Microbial Data

The Human Gut Microbiome and Your Health
Impact of diet and age on the gut microbiota
Obesity and the gut microbiota
Human microbiome and gut disease
Interview: On location in Tanzania with Martin Blaser
Interview: On location in Tanzania with Jeff Leach
Interview: On location in Tanzania with Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello
Manipulating the microbiome through fecal transplants
Rob's Module 4 wrap-up
Assignments
The Human Gut Microbiome and Your Health

Gut Microbe-Host Interactions: Beyond Nutrition
Gut microbiota interactions with the immune system
Gut microbiota, autoimmune diseases, and allergies
Web interview: Sarkis Mazmanian
Interview: Cathy Lozupone
The gut-brain axis
Post-mortem human microbiome
Zech on machine learning
Web interview: Sibyl Bucheli
Web interview: David Carter
Web interview: Charlotte Carter
Rob's Module 5 wrap-up
Assignments
Gut Microbe-Host Interactions: Beyond Nutrition

What's in the American Gut
The American Gut Project and crowd-funding
Interview: Tom Cech
Collecting samples
Interview: Daniel McDonald
Michael Pollan vs. Jeff Leach: American Gut results explained
Web interview: Michael Pollan
Comparing the American Gut to other populations
Rob's Module 6 wrap-up and thank you's
Assignments
Closing Remarks
Acknowledgements
Post-Course Survey
What's in the American Gut

Summary of User Reviews

The Microbiome course on Coursera has received positive reviews from its users. Many have praised the course for its comprehensiveness and engaging lectures. The course has a high overall rating.