Knowing your household microbes

[urbpan]

Most of the living things around us are too small to see. This blog, nine years in, suffers from a gaping chasm where the information about microbes should be. No more! A group of microbiologists from North Carolina State University are recruiting citizen scientists to sample the invisible life of their homes. In exchange for this data gathering they will tell me what species of little single celled buggies live in my house!


The package arrives! I log in and answer some questions (how many pet reptiles do I have? do I eat meat?) and then I'm off to swab my house!


First up: the top of my exterior door. If there are any special microbes that live on winter moths, this is where they'll be.


On top of an interior doorway. The house has been inhabited for about a year following a major renovation (including repainting). Any critters up here truly belong to us.


Then the kitchen counter. Oh my, there could be lots of goodies here. Hopefully nothing too disgusting: we roll out pizza dough on that counter!


And then finally, my pillow. I'm going to predict head fungus from this location. Just a hunch. An itchy itchy hunch.

Hope we find out soon!

Comments

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

looks like they have all the volunteers they need for at least a little while. I look forward to hearing about your results.

[bedfull-o-books.livejournal.com]

I am both intrigued and frightened by this.

[cottonmanifesto.livejournal.com]

i'm betting on lots of salmonella!

[callipygian80.livejournal.com]

This is really cool! Looking forward to the results. It makes me think of something that was in one of our town's water quality reports a few years ago that addressed the microbes that leave pink stains/rings in toilets and sinks. Maybe it's Serratia marcescens? I haven't seen them in this house as much as I did in our last house.

[elizaeffect.livejournal.com]

God dammit *throws away partially-completed science fiction story*

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

that's so cool! looking forward to hearing the findings.

[deathling.livejournal.com]

Oh what fun! I'm excited to see what's growing in your house!

[by-steph.livejournal.com]

Cool! Those little projects are fun to participate in. I got my hair tested for mercury by Greenpeace. (I'm not contaminated)

[urb-banal.livejournal.com]

I know... I was wondering but I didn't want to say.

[goremeister-666.livejournal.com]

i think we have the same headboard

[cottonmanifesto.livejournal.com]

it is one piece with a platform bed.
http://www.bostoninteriors.com/furniture/bedroom/beds/metropolitan-queen-storage-bed.cfm

[barbmg.livejournal.com]

You're sending your microbes to NC State?! They'll be practically down the street from me! I find this oddly happy-making.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

I may visit NC next year to go to the AAZK conference, if I can get over my anger about the constitutional amendment.

[barbmg.livejournal.com]

Yes, well, thirty nine percent of the voting population is with you on that.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

I love you, and the rest of those thirty-nine percenters.

[barbmg.livejournal.com]

Love you back! My friend Ileana started this: http://www.the39percent.com/#.T7Px7IRk5gM.facebook