We are each a spaceship soaring
through the universe. We all carry with us trillions of microorganisms as we go
through life. These multitudes of bacteria, fungi, and archaea have different
DNA than we do. Collectively called our microbiome, our shipmates outnumber our
own cells. Our crew members form communities, , help digest food, engage in
battles against intruders, and sometimes commute on a liquid superhighway from
one end of our bodies to the other. Much of what our microbiome does, however,
remains unknown. We are the captains, but being nice to our crew may allow us
to explore more of our local cosmos.