The connections among different parts of the human body are full of surprises, but here’s one you might not have considered: Could a thing that causes dandruff on your head also be contributing to your digestive problems?

That’s one mystery that scientists are trying to unravel with research into the fungi that live in your gut. While the bacteria that colonize our intestines have been a scientific focus for more than a decade, the fungal critters there are starting to get more attention.

Already, these studies have uncovered striking connections between fungi and several chronic illnesses, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. As is typical in medical science, a simple explanation (A causes B, which can be cured by C) is unlikely.

[Read about new research on connections between pancreatic cancer and fungi.]

But the potential to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of patients — and to uncover complex processes we never realized were at the root of these diseases — has made the fungal field tantalizing to medical researchers.