SSS 2011-11-14

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Think of the weirdest¹ creatures you've ever seen in a sci-fi film. Now think of this: there are far stranger, albeit² smaller, critters living in your own home. And Rob Dunn at North Carolina State University wants you to go on safari³ to find them.

 

Research has been done on the diversity of bacteria, fungi⁴ and other organisms that live on our skin, in our guts⁵, even in our belly⁶ buttons.

 

But there are other entire ecosystems⁷ that surround us. And scientists want to understand how they differ based on how and where we live. What's the tiny life like on a door frame in Brooklyn compared with that in Des Moines? Or how do fridge microbes of an urban singleton stack up with those of a suburban⁸ family?

 

The research team seeks ten volunteers from each state, five urban and five rural. Each volunteer will get a kit⁹ of vials and swabs, along with instructions about where and how to swipe—such as door frames, couch cushions, refrigerators, even yourself. The samples will be analyzed¹⁰ to uncover the secrets of our microscopic¹¹ companions. To find out more, go to robdunnlab.com

 

Thanks for the minute. For Scientific American's 60-Second Science, I'm Cynthia Graber.

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