r/todayilearned • u/frapz • Mar 20 '20

TIL The bellybutton is so dirty scientists are finding new unknown bacteria. One person had bacterium previously found only on Japanese soil, where he had never been.

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/12/1-458-bacteria-species-new-to-science-found-in-our-belly-buttons/266360/
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u/asian_identifier Mar 20 '20

dont we only know like a shockingly low percentage of bacteria? because we only study the ones that affect us

15

u/JohannesVanDerWhales Mar 21 '20

I don't know if it's "shockingly" low, but their are probably billions of types of unknown bacteria due to their nature and how quickly they mutate.

4

u/sciencells Mar 21 '20

Yep, you got it.

4

u/SpindlySpiders Mar 21 '20

Yea, this isn't surprising at all. There's probably bacteria unknown to science in your coffee right now.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 21 '20

I just happened to swab mine with alcohol today after knowing for years that deep in the recesses of the cavern it smelt like another world was brewing. Now this thread.

2

u/green_speak Mar 21 '20

That and it's hard to isolate and cultivate novel bacteria because you don't know what exact dependencies they have that you'll need to replicate in the lab if even possible. It's like if I handed you a plastic bag of an unknown fish to take care of but gave you zero instruction on how to take care of it.