Groundbreaking research continues to elucidate the role of microbiota and pathogens in health and disease. The gut microbiome shows lasting alterations in response to past medication usage, including antidepressants and proton pump inhibitors. Studies of bats identify juvenile individuals as hotspots for viral evolution relevant to spillover risks. Novel approaches to antimicrobial resistance highlight the energy-dependent disruption of bacterial outer membranes as crucial to antibiotic lethality.