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Cospeciation of gut microbiota with hominids
- DrScump 10y agoQuick summary: "Gut bacteria therefore are not simply acquired from the environment, but have coevolved for millions of years with hominids to help shape our immune systems and development."
- HillaryBriss 10y agoYeah. I guess there are a lot of implications here. One is that it looks like it's not so easy for a newborn human to pick up the right collection of intestinal bacteria. So, I guess, having the birth canal near the anus makes a lot of sense, in terms of physiology. Also, what if space aliens aren't really interested in human beings, per se, but in the unique collection of bacteria we harbor? This paper sheds new light on the the anal probes abductees keep telling us about...