Dr Karen Scott from the Rowett Institute recently visited China to speak about her research into infant nutrition and the development of the gut microbiome at an International meeting organised by BIOSTIME, a company committed to providing mothers with comprehensive parenting solutions.
While in China, Karen took the opportunity to visit another area from her research interests - the Chinese research centre on Giant Pandas in DuJiangyan. Karen presented data from her study which looked at the gut microbiota of the pandas at Edinburgh zoo.
After presenting, Karen was able to get up close to one of the centre’s furriest residents – a one year old giant panda.
After being kitted out in special protective clothing – to ensure she didn’t pass on any germs to the bear – Karen had her photo taken to ensure she has a permanent reminder of the moment.
Karen said: “It was a fantastic experience getting so close to the panda – if a little nerve racking! After carrying out so much research into the gut health of pandas, it was really lovely to be able to go and present my findings to the team at the DuJiangyan.”