Apr 23

Can we save our body’s ecosystem from extinction?

The sheer amount of bacteria in and on your body weighs three to four pounds, the same weight as the human brain. But overuse of antibiotics is threatening the microbes our guts need, and possibly giving rise to modern plagues.

Scientists spent two years trawling the oceans for bacteria and viruses, and in the process discovered 6 million new genes, doubling the number known on Earth and holding promise for new antibiotics and alternative energy sources.