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Every Man Is an Island (of Bacteria)
Shipud writes "There are ten times more bacterial cells in our body than our own cells. Most of them are located in our guts, and they affect our well-being in many ways. A group at Washington University has recently reported that although our gut microbes perform similar functions, it appears that different people have completely different compositions of gut bacteria: every man is an island, a unique microbial ecosystem composed of completely different species. One conclusion is that the whole division of bacteria into species may well be over-used in biomedicine."
I can't believe the summary got "affect" vs. "effect" right, and "than" vs. "then" correct, but whiffed on "our" vs. "are." That's a new one for me.
Light the blue touch-paper and retire immediately.
Many /. readers never took biology, or if they did they were drunk or stoned when they came to class.
Another interesting tidbit I was told in microbiology class: every time you made out with someone, you probably picked up new SPECIES of bacteria in your mouth. Of course, he was talking to a classroom of college students, maybe that's not true for dating in a senior center.
You have obviously never dipped your pen in senior center ink, my friend.
Just callin' it like I see it.
Every man is an island
and obviously, the summary was written in the 40s, before feminist criticism of language became familiar to the mainstream.
Obviously, you did not recognize the John Donne reference.
I would say the fact that you keep vomitting might be what's making you skinny, not the bacteria in your gut.