Posted on 05/28/2009 8:30:56 PM PDT by smokingfrog
The organisms that inhabit the skin may not be the bad guys. They probably enable the body to function properly, researchers say in the journal Science.
Here's a finding that'll make your skin crawl: A healthy human epidermis is colonized by roughly 1,000 species of bacteria.
Furthermore, the microorganisms have evolved to exploit the unique attributes of those body parts they call home, according to a study to be published today in the journal Science.
Some thrive in the desert of the forearm. Others are happiest in the tropical rain forest of the armpit.
The study, conducted by a team of researchers from the National Institutes of Health, reflects a growing realization that bacteria have colonized us inside and out -- and that their presence is not only harmless but also probably essential to the proper functioning of the body.
One striking example of that fact: Mice bred to be entirely germ-free have smaller hearts and are unable to digest food properly.
"We live in a microbial world, and these things are not all out to get us," said Noah Fierer, a microbial ecologist at the University of Colorado at Boulder, who has analyzed bacteria that live on hands.
"You don't want to live in a sterile world," said Fierer, who wasn't involved with the new report. "You probably can't live in a sterile world."
The results reported today will lay some groundwork for the Human Microbiome Project, a $115-million NIH venture aimed at cataloging the bacteria and other organisms that inhabit the skin, gut, nose, mouth and vagina.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
The presence of helpful bacteria is one reason you shouldn’t use antibacterial soap all the time.
That’s all? I would have guessed a lot more.
Thank you porn.
and that’s just the healthy ones.
It is my understanding that the harmless bacterial colonies help prevent the growth of harmful fungal infections.
The presence of helpful bacteria is one reason you shouldn’t use antibacterial soap all the time.
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Other than bath soap, that’s all I use. Thanks for the tip.
midiclorians???
So we could find the cure for cancer in the armpit of a TV News anchor. Now I know two useful things about them.
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They act like this is suprising news.
Without a breakdown of ethnicity, I think we should be skeptical of the designation “humans”. We are now aware that Hispanic humans may have very different bacterial neighborhoods than the rest of us.
An environment of one!
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