Belly button bacteria samples: Bacillus subtilis (left) and Staphylococcus epidermidis.
Images courtesy of Belly Button Diversity
Everyone has
a belly button, but do you know what is in it? According to research, your
belly button is similar to a “rain forest”. About two years ago, a group of
scientists from North Carolina University study 60 belly buttons. The team
found 2,368 species of bacteria, 1,458 of which are brand new to science. The
strange thing was that, while some of the bacteria showed up multiple times on
6 different subjects, all the other species showed up in only a single subject.
One subject’s belly button contained bacteria found only in soil from Japan,
yet the subject had never been to the country. One subject even harbored
bacteria known to thrive in ice caps and thermal vents. Eight species showed up
on 70% of the subjects and it showed up in large numbers. Now scientists want
to know why these bacteria show up.
Knowing that
there are unknown bacteria is a little scary. I mean, scientists don’t know if
the new bacteria are dangerous or helpful. It could help advances in the medical
field though. Maybe one of these new bacteria species can fight and kill cancer
cells. After reading the article, I am really intrigued by this find. My belly
button could be the home to a new type of bacteria that could cure a disease or
cause one. I think it would be a really cool thing to look at someone’s belly
button under a microscope. You would get a chance to see bacteria alive and in
abundance. All in all, there is a micro rain forest of bacteria in your belly
button.
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