Our Belly Buttons Contain ‘Rain Forest’ Of Bacteria
People usually don’t pay much attention to their belly buttons, but the indentations actually contain dozens of different microbial species on average.
People usually don’t pay much attention to their belly buttons, but the indentations actually contain dozens of different microbial species on average.
The path to that discovery began in 2011 when researchers from the North Carolina State University analyzed the belly button swabs of 60 volunteers.
Following the study, the team reports the samples yielded 2,368 bacterial species, more than 60 percent of which “may be new to science.”
Dr. Robert Dunn, the lead researcher, explains that “the vast majority of these species are rare. Right away something struck an ecological chord. The belly buttons reminded me of rain forests.”
For example, one participant was found to host a bacterium linked to Japanese soil while another was carrying around two kinds of microbes found in extreme environments.
This investigation spawned the Belly Button Biodiversity project which enabled members of the public to get their own navels tested.
One eventual goal was to be able to correlate a person’s belly button contents with his or her health.
People usually don’t pay much attention to their belly buttons, but the indentations actually contain dozens of different microbial species on average.
The path to that discovery began in 2011 when researchers from the North Carolina State University analyzed the belly button swabs of 60 volunteers.
Following the study, the team reports the samples yielded 2,368 bacterial species, more than 60 percent of which “may be new to science.”
Dr. Robert Dunn, the lead researcher, explains that “the vast majority of these species are rare. Right away something struck an ecological chord. The belly buttons reminded me of rain forests.”
For example, one participant was found to host a bacterium linked to Japanese soil while another was carrying around two kinds of microbes found in extreme environments.
This investigation spawned the Belly Button Biodiversity project which enabled members of the public to get their own navels tested.
One eventual goal was to be able to correlate a person’s belly button contents with his or her health.
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