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Marmoset microbiomes, human microbiomes, and the fountain of youth

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Marmosets courtesy of Southwest National Primate Center
Kathy West
Marmosets courtesy of the Southwest National Primate Center, housed at Texas Biomedical Research Institute in San Antonio.

Marmosets are pretty cute. They are little monkeys, roughly the size of squirrels. And they chirp, sort of like little birds. Their behavior — how they act as individuals and how they interact with one another — is interesting to observe because they are good models for the study of many things that are of interest to their much larger, but usually far less furry, primate cousins.

Scientists are now studying marmoset feces to learn more about aging and the microbiome. One of humanity's great quests has been made microscopic in the aging intestines of these monkeys.

Host Bonnie Petrie speaks with Corrina Ross, a scientist and the acting director of the Southwest National Primate Research Center, housed at Texas Biomedical Research Institute in San Antonio.

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