The Ecosystem Within
When Walt Whitman wrote, “I am large, I contain multitudes,” little did he know the truth behind the metaphor.
Recent science reveals that a hundred trillion microorganisms live in the human body, outnumbering our own cells ten to one. It could legitimately be said that we are more them than us—or that the very idea of our being discrete organisms is fundamentally wrong.
Whichever way you frame it, one thing is indisputable: our bodies are their home.
Scientists working on the federally funded Human Microbiome Project are now in the process of cataloging our tenants, known collectively as our microbiome. More than 10,000 species have been identified so far.
Read more in NRDC’s This Green Life.
Notes
-
all-for-this reblogged this from nrdc
-
ciencia-iluminada reblogged this from nrdc
-
jodi-ziser likes this
-
environmentalillnessnetwork reblogged this from nrdc
-
greenhopenetwork reblogged this from nrdc
-
alundgren1 reblogged this from nrdc
-
infiniteconchshells likes this
-
jo-discontent reblogged this from nrdc
-
jo-discontent likes this
-
jeezypete reblogged this from nrdc and added:
Recent science reveals that a hundred trillion microorganisms live in the human body, outnumbering our own cells ten to...
-
sadiecolcord reblogged this from nrdc
-
comix reblogged this from silas216 and added:
full of life :D
-
comix likes this
-
silas216 reblogged this from nrdc
-
silas216 likes this
-
paperimages likes this
-
calidexx likes this
-
youarethejourney likes this
-
justgivemefood likes this
-
askjerves likes this
-
erjonitropoje likes this
-
resurrecthobbes likes this
-
nrdc posted this
