Do the ones on my shoes have souls?
Any difference between the cell phones of bearded individuals?
Beard swabs yield âdisturbingâ results
I am concerned for my phone. Do you think they will develop probiotics for electronic devices soon?
Ok, I am so glad I dip my phone in hand sanitizer every so often.
Wait. . . slow down . . . there are different kinds of microbes?
You can tell this was written by a scientist rather than a science journalist because there was not a single âX is dirtier than your toiletâ comparison.
They have soles, certainly.
jokeâs on you, I dial my phone with my feet!
I love these kinds of studies, but I want to re-iterate something that was glossed over in the link:
The authors are reporting bacterial families, which are super super broad. We (microbiologists) donât usually pinpoint individual species in studies like these. So when the article indicates that a community includes things like:
âMoraxellaceae (fuchsia) â this family includes the causative agent of pink eye in cattle and human respiratory tract antibiotic-resistant pathogens.â
Itâs a bit like saying:
âYour community includes vascular plants. This group includes poison ivy, the causative agent of horrible rashes.â
While that may be true, but it doesnât tell me whether to stock up on antihistamines.
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