The Microbiome Data Congress 2021 brought together leaders from academia and industry to discuss biostatistical methods and cutting-edge bioinformatic tools for advancing microbiome research. This year's event also featured a session on the 'dark matter' of the gut microbiome and the importance of precise measurements which could lead to diagnostic and therapeutic discovery from the gut. Leading Australian bioinformatician, Dr David Wood of Microba Life Sciences, spoke about the importance of precision microbiome analysis and the potential of the gut microbiome in future diagnostic and therapeutics in clinical practice. | shorturl.at/grCM3