Only 43% of the body's total cell that make up human cell.The rest are microscopic colonists.
Hence,the field is even asking questions of what it means to be "human" which lead to new innovative treatments as a result.
The microbiome - is rapidly transforming understanding of diseases from allergy to Parkinson's.
"They are essential to your health," says Prof Ruth Ley, the director of the department of microbiome science at the Max Planck Institute, "your body isn't just you".
The body is cover with tiny creatures like bacteria, viruses, fungi and archaea (organisms originally misclassified as bacteria). All these cannot be totally removed from the body however well you wash it.
The greatest concentration of this microscopic life is in the dark murky depths of our oxygen-deprived bowels.
"You're more microbe than you are human."Prof Rob Knight, from University of California San Diego, added.
It waso originally thought that our cells were outnumbered 10 to one by microbes.
But the current estimate is, you're about 43% human if you're counting up all the cells.
Prof Sarkis Mazmanian, a microbiologist from Caltech, argues: "What makes us human is, in my opinion, the combination of our own DNA, plus the DNA of our gut microbes."
Hence,the field is even asking questions of what it means to be "human" which lead to new innovative treatments as a result.
The microbiome - is rapidly transforming understanding of diseases from allergy to Parkinson's.
"They are essential to your health," says Prof Ruth Ley, the director of the department of microbiome science at the Max Planck Institute, "your body isn't just you".
The body is cover with tiny creatures like bacteria, viruses, fungi and archaea (organisms originally misclassified as bacteria). All these cannot be totally removed from the body however well you wash it.
The greatest concentration of this microscopic life is in the dark murky depths of our oxygen-deprived bowels.
"You're more microbe than you are human."Prof Rob Knight, from University of California San Diego, added.
It waso originally thought that our cells were outnumbered 10 to one by microbes.
But the current estimate is, you're about 43% human if you're counting up all the cells.
Prof Sarkis Mazmanian, a microbiologist from Caltech, argues: "What makes us human is, in my opinion, the combination of our own DNA, plus the DNA of our gut microbes."
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