Nature Podcast Briefing Chat: The canny cow that can use tools, and how babies share their microbiomes
Jan 23, 2026
A study on babies shows nursery attendance rapidly reshapes their gut microbes and drives extensive baby-to-baby strain sharing. Researchers tracked sampling before, during and after nursery entry and found antibiotics alter strain dynamics. A separate report describes a cow that learned to use sticks and broom parts to scratch hard-to-reach itches, prompting discussion of animal problem-solving and welfare.
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Daycare Reshapes Infant Microbiomes
- Babies rapidly acquire gut microbes from peers when they start nursery, not just from their mothers.
- After four months at daycare infants shared 15–20% of microbial species with peers, reshaping their microbiomes.
Microbes Move Through Social Networks
- Microbial strains travel through complex social networks connecting babies, parents and even pets.
- The study mapped strain transfers like mother→infant→peer→parents, showing bidirectional flows.
Antibiotics Cut Then Replenish Strain Diversity
- Antibiotics briefly reduce infant gut strain diversity but recovery is rapid with many new strains arriving.
- Newly acquired strains persisted through the study year and may seed longer-term microbiome composition.