Making us human?

Since reading Jill Bolte Taylor's My Stroke of Insight, I have been writing and thinking about the 100 trillion cells that are housed in the human body. Guess what? They are not all human! Only about one in ten are human; the rest are "microbes, primarily bacteria, but also viruses, fungi, and a panoply of other microorganisms."

"Equipped with super-fast new DNA decoders, scientists are accelerating the exploration of this realm at a molecular level, yielding provocative insights into how these microbial stowaways might wield far greater powers than previously appreciated in, paradoxically, making us human."

"Some equate these microbial inhabitants to a newly recognized organ. Acquired beginning at birth, this mass of fellow travelers might help steer normal development, molding immune systems and calibrating fundamental metabolic functions such as energy storage and consumption. There are tantalizing clues they might help shape brain development, influencing behavior."

"Doctors have even begun microbiota "transplants" to treat a host of illnesses, including a sometimes-devastating gastrointestinal infection called C. difficile, digestive system ailments such as Crohn's disease, colitis and irritable bowel disorder, and even in a handful of cases obesity and other afflictions, such as multiple sclerosis.

Advocates of the research urge caution, noting that most of the work so far has involved laboratory animals or small numbers of patients, many hypotheses remain far from proven and nothing has zero risk."

Source for this story here: http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_19078292