In a recent study of Belly Button Bacteria

[no1_vern]

Belly button Bacteria are cool!

Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered what kinds of life might exist out there? Well, you can look down – at your belly button that is – and wonder the exact same thing.

According to research published today in PLOS ONE, the belly button is home to an array of bacterial life ranging from the common (like Staphylococci) to the rare (like Archaea which have never been found before on human skin). Some bacteria, like those belonging to the Bacillus genus (pictured above), are feisty – they battle against fungi and viruses. Other bacteria, like those in the Micrococcus genus, are responsible for body odor!

All of this and more were found in the belly buttons of various participants in the study. The authors, led by Dr. Robert Dunn, identified over 2000 phylotypes (i.e., different types or species) of bacteria, most of which were rare and found in less than a tenth of the study’s sixty participants. No one particular phylotype was found in every person, but those that were common were shared by over seventy percent of belly buttons swabbed. What a bacterial ball!

Microbe Portraits @ Belly Button Biodiversity

[Taxmancometh]

I think after each shower I'll apply a liberal amount of hand sanitizer to my belly button.

[pickel]

I think after each shower I'll apply a liberal amount of hand sanitizer to my belly button.

[Taxmancometh]