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

[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