Can the Bacteria That we Carry Give us Special Powers?

The bacteria that we carry in and on our bodies can affect our health and well-being in many ways. But could they give us superhuman abilities? Researchers want to know more about how our bacterial flora, or microbiome, impacts our physiology, and how exercise affects our microbiota in turn.

Related: Gaining Insight From the Microbiome of Athletes

Investigators at the Argonne National Laboratory will examine how a swim across the ocean changes the many microbes that live in and on the swimmer, Ben Lecomte. He is going from Japan to San Francisco and will complete 5,500 miles of swimming in the process.  The scientists will get samples from the swimmer as well as from the environment he’s swimming in. Learn more from the video.