I love seeing this kind of thing posted but it’s not surprising in the slightest. We’re forever discovering brew bacteria in our guts that are apparently unique. When I had my gut bacteria tested a full 20% of what I had hadn’t been named yet, and some possibly hadn’t been seen before.
It is not just the human body. Mysterious bacteria that people don't know how to cultivate in isolation are everywhere. Part of the story is that many bacteria don't really live alone but they depend on a plant or an animal or even other bacteria such as one species of large rod bacteria that has a different species of little rod bacteria that live on it, biofilms, etc.
Why do you find it shocking and disturbing? If you go to the doctor, the average process of diagnosis and treatment is much like printf debugging - just sprinkle some based on instinct and run it again. We're surrounded by technological advancement that is making us feel like we're far in the future, but there's still so much we don't know.
One disturbing recent discovery is that a strain of E. coli produces a genotoxin, colibactin, that could be the cause of the doubling in colon cancer among those under age 55 in the last 20 years.
Doctors don't ask about this. People still take Prilosec, and it's acknowledged that it causes cancer. You get what you give: confirmation bias.
Edit: The essential problem is that ranitidine isn't shelf-stable. This could explain some problems with other theraputics which we won't name to avoid downvoting / politics.
> The discovery of Methanobrevibacter intestini and GRAZ-2 opens up a new chapter in archaea research as well as new perspectives for personalized microbiome medicine in the future.
It advances research, but personalized microbiome research seems a stretch goal. At least, it doesn't sound like it's likely to happen soon.
This is perhaps what amazes me the most. We're each a Borg, we are a collective that has adapted the biological distinctiveness of bacteria that we've assimilated into a collective that "thinks." Pretty wild. That we gather in groups and act collectively just adds another layer of recursion to life.
I love seeing this kind of thing posted but it’s not surprising in the slightest. We’re forever discovering brew bacteria in our guts that are apparently unique. When I had my gut bacteria tested a full 20% of what I had hadn’t been named yet, and some possibly hadn’t been seen before.
Archaea are not bacteria; that's why this discovery is so significant.
I find it shocking and disturbing that we know so little about our own biology we are still discovering such things.
It’s like doctors didn’t have centuries to examine human bodies to learn from them.
It is not just the human body. Mysterious bacteria that people don't know how to cultivate in isolation are everywhere. Part of the story is that many bacteria don't really live alone but they depend on a plant or an animal or even other bacteria such as one species of large rod bacteria that has a different species of little rod bacteria that live on it, biofilms, etc.
> It is not just the human body.
I know, but I would expect doctors would, by know, not be so frequently surprised by things lurking in their own bodies.
Not that long ago a never before observed structure every human always had was discovered: https://www.science.org/content/article/scientists-say-they-...
Why do you find it shocking and disturbing? If you go to the doctor, the average process of diagnosis and treatment is much like printf debugging - just sprinkle some based on instinct and run it again. We're surrounded by technological advancement that is making us feel like we're far in the future, but there's still so much we don't know.
Biology is so complex that extremely little is known about details. Grab a college textbook on introduction to zoology, and prepare to be blown away.
One disturbing recent discovery is that a strain of E. coli produces a genotoxin, colibactin, that could be the cause of the doubling in colon cancer among those under age 55 in the last 20 years.
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/05/01/gut-bacteria-may-play...
How many people took Zantac (ranitidine) the highly spammed H2 blocker? https://www.nfcr.org/blog/3-common-heartburn-drugs-are-assoc...
Doctors don't ask about this. People still take Prilosec, and it's acknowledged that it causes cancer. You get what you give: confirmation bias.
Edit: The essential problem is that ranitidine isn't shelf-stable. This could explain some problems with other theraputics which we won't name to avoid downvoting / politics.
> and it's acknowledged that it causes cancer.
This is not acknowledged as demonstrated, the studies are contradictory and observational.
> The discovery of Methanobrevibacter intestini and GRAZ-2 opens up a new chapter in archaea research as well as new perspectives for personalized microbiome medicine in the future.
It advances research, but personalized microbiome research seems a stretch goal. At least, it doesn't sound like it's likely to happen soon.
You can blame the dog if you want to. I’m blaming Methanobrevibacter intestini sp. nov. (strain WWM1085).
The original source article:
https://microbiologysociety.org/news/press-releases/new-spec...
Which also works without javascript or cookies, unlike phys.org
we are not even individuals, we are just walking cities of cells. We are Chimera.
This is perhaps what amazes me the most. We're each a Borg, we are a collective that has adapted the biological distinctiveness of bacteria that we've assimilated into a collective that "thinks." Pretty wild. That we gather in groups and act collectively just adds another layer of recursion to life.
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