We inherit every one of our genes, but we leave the womb…
““We inherit every one of our genes, but we leave the womb without a single microbe. As we pass through our mother's birth canal, we begin to attract entire colonies of bacteria. By the time a child can crawl, he has been blanketed by an enormous, unseen cloud of microorganisms--a hundred trillion or more. They are bacteria, mostly, but also viruses and fungi (including a variety of yeasts), and they come at us from all directions: other people, food, furniture, clothing, cars, buildings, trees, pets, even the air we breathe. They congregate in our digestive systems and our mouths, fill the space between our teeth, cover our skin, and line our throats. We are inhabited by as many as ten thousand bacterial species; those cells outnumber those which we consider our own by ten to one, and weigh, all told, about three pounds--the same as our brain. Together, they are referred to as our microbiome--and they play such a crucial role in our lives that scientists like [Martin J.] Blaser have begun to reconsider what it means to be human.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Humans host trillions of microbes that are essential to health, redefining what it means to be human.
In simple terms: Microbes are part of us.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and support your microbiome.
Themes
biology
health
identity
Mood
informative
scientific
Type
educational
explanatory
When to use this quote
- nutrition
- medical treatment
- personal hygiene
- environmental exposure
Key Concepts
microbiome
symbiosis
human definition
Questions to Reflect On
- How does your lifestyle affect your microbes?
- What steps can you take to nurture them?
A Different Perspective
Microbial balance can be disrupted by antibiotics.