Baylor University has announced the exciting lineup of artists set to perform at Baylor Backyard Live, a new game day concert series at all six home football games this fall outside McLane Stadium on Touchdown Alley. 

Critically acclaimed indie rock/folk band Mt. Joy is headed to Waco, Texas, for Silobration, presented by Magnolia with Baylor University, Thursday, Oct. 22, at Foster Pavilion.

For those of us who have lived in Waco awhile, we know it’s a special place. When our city is featured in national publications like Southern Living Magazine and receives statewide recognition by Austin Travels, it’s clear others understand what makes the city unique, too. Waco has been Baylor’s hometown since 1886, and I believe we are in the middle of another exciting chapter in our story.

At first glance, it’s not a pleasant image to consider: Billions of bacteria, fungi and viruses live in the gut of every human. While that may sound bad, these collections — unique to every human — play an oversized role in human health. Their sheer scope makes them challenging to study, but the benefits of understanding them can help individuals with ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, cancer and more.

It’s a field of knowledge that Baylor researchers are expanding through a focus on different aspects of the human microbiome — the overall collection of microorganisms found throughout the body in areas such as the gastrointestinal tract. Baylor’s strength in the field of microbiome research is rapidly growing, promoting ways to help humans enjoy healthier guts, which in turn promotes healthier people.

Here are three questions Baylor professors seek to answer through their research: