Key points from article :
Middle-aged fish receiving a transplant of gut bacteria from young fish had in increased mean lifespan of 41%.
Fish that received young transplants were more active and showed more exploratory behavior later in life.
Loss of diversity is one of the ways that the gut microbiome is known to change with age.
Gut microbiomes vary widely but different sets of bacteria are able to perform similar services.
Fecal transplants are being studied as possible treatments for ulcerative colitis, IBS, type 2 diabetes and obesity.
The study was published in the Nature journal.
