Microbes and monsters

In this microbiome-heavy episode, recorded on the bike, Greg Dickens and I discuss recent news on how fathers shape children’s long-term health, on how early-life stress affects the development of the gut-brain axis, and on how fecal microbiome transplants affect Autism Spectrum Disorders in children. We then talk about microbes - why they are important, why children need to look after them, and why they are like Santa Claus. Finally, we talk about how we understand repetitive behaviours in animals and children.For more information on how to help children care for their microbiomes, see this article: For more information on setting children’s guts up for better long-term health, see this article: https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/gut-feelingsTopics covered* How young men’s experiences shape their own and their partners’ health behaviours during pregnancy and beyond* How early-life stress affects IBD, GERD, and other disorders of the gut-brain axis* How fecal microbiome transplants affect symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder* Why microbiomes are important* How to help children care for their microbiomes* How we understand repetitive disorders in children and animalsRecent episodesSome of my subscribers have been urging me for a while to turn on the paid option to increase my Substack visibility. I’ve quietly turned on the paid option for this newsletter. Everything stays free, but you’d like to support my work, you can now upgrade – completely optional, always appreciated.Notes“Across biological and behavioural research, young men's early life course experiences have been shown to shape their own and their partner's preconception physical, emotional, and behavioural health.” https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00148-0/abstract“In humans, significant associations between maternal mental health problems and pediatric disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI) were observed in both cohorts, mirroring preclinical findings.” https://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(26)00205-2/abstract“This novel hydrogen nanobubble water–based FMT method was safe and effective, reducing both core and peripheral symptoms of ASD and suggesting broad benefits via the gut microbiota–brain axis.” https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pediatrics/articles/10.3389/fped.2026.1767346/full“While most often described in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID), stereotypies can also present without developmental delay and persist into adulthood.” https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5370241/ Get full access to Growing up WEIRD at guenbradbury.substack.com/subscribe