Our intestine is home to three pounds of bacteria (in fact, we have about equal numbers of bacteria and human cells in the body). We feed them and they feed us. They help us break down proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates from our food into nutrients that we can then absorb. Without them, we would not…
By Kanika Khanna In this journey called life, we are not alone. We are inhabited by around 39 trillion microbial cells that account for ~57% of all cells in our body, making us half human and half microbes. This consortium of microbial species (including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and archaea) is referred to as the ‘human…
“We are inhabited by as many as ten thousand bacterial species… Together, they are referred to as our microbiome — and they play such a crucial role in our lives that scientists like Blaser have begun to reconsider what it means to be human.” ― Michael Specter A couple weeks ago, I attended the Boston…