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Your Biological First Responders
We hear about first responders frequently in the news, those people who are the first to arrive at an emergency situation. Generally, people think of police, firefighters, medical personnel and the like. You and I have a passel of our own medical first responders, but you can't see them.
They live in and on you, and help keep you well. I'm talking about viruses and bacteria that work with your immune system. People think those are bad things, but I reckon that it's because we only hear about the bad ones, or the good ones that got a mite confused and became mavericks. Originally, everything was created very good, but things started going downhill and degenerating. We still have a non-evolved, intelligently-designed system for dealing with infections and diseases.
It’s the largest security force in the world. A teeming network of first responders that live on nearly every surface of your body, inside and out. They’re not part of the body, like your immune system—they’re immigrants—but they’re still naturalized citizens, and without them your world couldn’t function. Since the Human Microbiome Project began in 2008, biologists have begun to uncover just how closely your body relies on these semiautonomous partners in securing your well-being. From the skin to the lining of the intestine, the trillions of bacteria and viruses that make up your own personal microbiome keep you safe from invading diseases. Someday soon, scientists hope to train them for new roles, like fighting cancer and providing early warning of infections.
To read the rest, click on "A Trillion First Responders".
