Microbiome: How the bacterial genes in our gut impact us

mag microbiome t CA articleLarge
Credit: Hannah Whitaker for The New York Times. Prop stylist: Emily Mullin, via NYT.

The following is an editorial summary.

It turns out that we are only 10 percent human: for every human cell that is intrinsic to our body, there are about 10 resident microbes. To the extent that we are bearers of genetic information, more than 99 percent of it is microbial. Out body contains 100s of trillions of microbial bacteria, weighing several pounds, which form a vast, largely uncharted interior wilderness that scientists are just beginning to map. It appears increasingly likely that this “second genome,” as it is sometimes called, exerts an influence on our health as great and possibly even greater than the genes we inherit from our parents.

View the original article here: Some of My Best Friends Are Germs

Additional Resources:

{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.singularReviewCountLabel }}
{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.pluralReviewCountLabel }}
{{ options.labels.newReviewButton }}
{{ userData.canReview.message }}
screenshot at  pm

Are pesticide residues on food something to worry about?

In 1962, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring drew attention to pesticides and their possible dangers to humans, birds, mammals and the ...
glp menu logo outlined

Newsletter Subscription

* indicates required
Email Lists
glp menu logo outlined

Get news on human & agricultural genetics and biotechnology delivered to your inbox.