Wharton Professor Mauro Guillén’s new book 2030: How Today’s Biggest Trends Will Collide and Reshape the Future of Everything Beware the futurist who invokes the 40% caveat, the headline-grabbing forecast that comes with a mere 40% probability — enough to grab attention, but wrapped in enough qualifications to prevent later…

Personalization is the next big food trend. Which products are leading the way? — A long time ago, food manufacturers boasted about low calories and fat, a claim that hasn’t been trendy in two decades, according to food marketing consultant Datassential. …

Most people know about the hormone melatonin and that it has something to do with sleep. Some international travelers take it to counter the effects of jet lag, and some people take it regularly as a treatment for insomnia. You might vaguely remember that it has something to do with…

Can a microbiome gut test find anything useful? — Paul was just a normal father of two teenagers when, oddly, he began having digestive problems. At first he thought it was something he’d been eating; despite a lifetime of Southern living, he didn’t have as much tolerance for deep-fried cooking as some of his neighbors and the past few…

A simple drink changed my microbiome and I can prove it — Everyone interested in the microbiome eventually has to check out kefir. Google the phrase “one of the most potent probiotic foods available” and you’ll find kefir in all the top results. A recent BBC documentary that tested people after consuming different types of “gut-friendly” foods found it had by far…

You think your life is tough? — Our bodies are bathed in living, eating, reproducing lifeforms that we can’t see but that have profound effects on all that we do. But the rest of our world is covered with microbes too. You can’t think about the human microbiome without wondering where else these invisible creatures might be…

What might a spy learn from my microbiome? — When North Korean leader Kim Jung-un flew to Singapore yesterday, besides his own food and a bullet proof limousine, Korean media reports that he also carried a portable toilet that will deny divers insights into the Supreme Leader’s stools. This is not the first time the importance of gut bacteria…

Springtime for many people brings hay fever, an allergic reaction known to be associated with the microbiome. I fortunately don’t suffer from the condition, but I wondered if maybe I could find something in my nose microbiome that would show a seasonal shift, perhaps something aligned with allergy season. …

Most microbiome discussions begin with the assumption that diversity is good. After all, if your body harbors a wide variety of microbes, you’ll have a deeper catalog of useful ones that can be applied to new situations. The world around us is constantly changing, and you never know what new…