Your microbiota is SOOOO agnotobiotic
Cheap personal microbiomics will make the
human microbiota gnotobiotic! It just rolls off the tongue (an
decreasingly agnotobiotic human organ). Does all this verbage leave a bad taste in your mouth?
Microbiota: The collection of micro-organisms in a particular environment, such as the human body, e.g. the human gut microbiota.
Microbiome: The collection of genetic material (all the genomes) in a particular microbiota.
Gnotobiotic: Describes a microbiota with a known set of micro-organisms.
Agnotobiotic: Describes a microbiota of unknown or poorly defined composition.
Here are some stats to cleanse your palate:
- 10 billion bacteria per ml of saliva (with 700 or more species in the oral cavity)
- 100 billion micro-organisms per ml of material in the human colon
- 1 trillion bacteria on the human skin (2 square meters total of human skin)
- 10 trillion human cells in our bodies
- 100 trillion micro-organisms in the human gastrointestinal tract
We are born relatively germ-free. Its unknown the extent to which we acquire our microbiomes from family members, but this may be another type of genetic heritability. In this case, genetics is definitely not destiny. We will increasingly be learning how to "reprogram" our microbiomes.
Microbiota management, flora farming, bug doping. Oh My!
–
Additional reading and references below the jump.
-
Recently Written
- Presidential DNA: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell?
- Audio from PGP Press Conference on Public Data Release
- George Church on Ira Flatow’s Science Friday 2pm ET
- Press Conference Video Footage featuring the PGP-10
- Press coverage on the Personal Genome Project’s 2nd annual meeting at Harvard Medical School
- Podcast about the Personal Genome Project via Harvard Medical Labcast
- Calling all enthusiasts: Misha Angrist talks personal genomes
- Esther Dyson on the Digital Health Revolution
- Charlie Rose Interviews Thoughtleaders in Personal Genomics
- The Gene Collector: George Church and the PGP in Wired Magazine
-
Popular Posts
-
Archives
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- September 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
- March 2006
- February 2006
- January 2006
- December 2005
- November 2005
- October 2005
- September 2005
- August 2005
- July 2005
- May 2005
- April 2005
- March 2005
- February 2005
- January 2005
- November 2004
- October 2004
- September 2004
- August 2004
- July 2004
- June 2004
- April 2004
- March 2004
- February 2004
- January 2004
- December 2003
- November 2003
- October 2003
DNA Network Member
Explore The DNA Network
Advertise on sites like these
DNA Gigs
-
-
About this blog
Even if you didn't know it before this moment, getting a personal copy of your genome sequence is a lifestyle choice that you may want to consider.
So are you going to take the personal genomics plunge? How are you going to decide? What are the issues? How are other people making this decision? Who is doing interesting work relevant to these choices? By the way, what is relevant? These are some of the issues this blog is intended to address.
Looking for the PGP?
About me
Read about Jason Bobe.
Subscriptions
Subscribe via RSS Feed
Theme Music
That Spells DNAby Jonathan Coulton
