Just a few decades ago, medicine was an entirely different animal than it is now—one in which exploratory surgeries were undergone more or less without hesitation in order to rule out differential diagnoses, palpation was one of the primary ways to diagnose appendicitis, and microbes were seen only as the enemy, as germs that were bad for us. Today, diagnostic imaging is arguably the fulcrum of medical diagnoses, and a growing body of research is indicating that the microbiome has an influential role in almost every function of our bodies, from growth and development to mate selection and behavior. But how are radiology and microbiota related?

 

That question is perhaps best answered by Dr. William B. Miller Jr., radiologist, evolutionary biologist, author of The Microcosm Within: Evolution and Extinction in the Hologenome, and lecturer on the emerging science of the hologenome. For him, the point at which he realized that diseases form reliably identifiable patterns on x-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, and computed tomography (CT) was the point at which he began to realize that individual organisms should be seen through a lens that encompasses all of the microbes that interact with it.

 

Dr. Miller is an endless source of interesting information, discussing a range of topics to include the influential role of the microbiome in our daily lives, how infectious diseases produce the same patterns as metastatic cancer on MRI, CT, ultrasound, and x-ray images, repeating patterns in nature, different forms of intelligence, and how to define and understand cellular self-awareness. Press play for the full conversation, visit www.themicrocosmwithin.com to learn more, and find his book on Amazon or in the stores.