What are microbes doing for animals? We all contain multitudes [1], and the microbiome field has grown by leaps and bounds. Most work has been done in humans and other model animals such as mice, where conditions can be very well controlled in the lab. However animals also have their own microbiome, including those in the wild, as well as domesticated animals, which can have effects on ecology and agriculture. Dr. Sue Ishaq explains this further in her story of how she started working in the field of the microbiome, microbiology and genomics of animals, taking a few left turns…