We are already a multi-creature symbiosis with bacteria. At least 500 species of bacteria, weighing about 3.3 pounds, live inside the human gut. The majority a

We are already a multi-creature symbiosis with bacteria. At least 500 species of bacteria, weighing about 3.3 pounds, live inside the human gut. The majority are from one of two phyla, the Firmicutes and the Bacteroides. They break down carbohydrates and make essential nutrients like vitamins K and B12. They also crowd out harmful bacteria. As Cynthia Sears at Johns Hopkins Center for Global Health says, “Just by mere force of numbers, the bad bugs are beat out by the good bugs.” http://discovermagazine.com/2007/jun/your-body-is-a-planet http://discovermagazine.com/2007/jun/your-body-is-a-planet