Another thing for which to blame your mother – your microbes

Wash your hands all the time. Sterilize your kitchen counters. Take antibiotics whenever you have a cough or an itchy throat. Avoid dirt and pets and farms. Do everything you can to keep away those germs.
Such antimicrobial views used to be broadly accepted and beaten into us further by many in the medical community and by diverse marketing efforts.  Sure, we have known about the important role of beneficial microbes in the lives of various plants and animals for many many years. And we certainly knew about some “good microbes” living in and on us. But somehow humans seem to have been generally viewed as – well – bigger than all this.  Better.  Able to go about our daily lives without depending on others.  Especially things so – well – small.

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Yet another thing for which to blame/thank your mother – your microbes 

Source: PLOS Biologue
Image credits: Martin Oeggerli/National Geographic

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