It is also argued that humans are actually a superorganism that includes microorganisms such as [[bacteria]]. It is estimated that "the human intestinal microbiota is composed of 10x13th to 10x14th microorganisms whose collective [[genome]] ("microbiome") contains at least 100 times as many genes as our own[...] Our microbiome has significantly enriched metabolism of glycans, amino acids, and xenobiotics; methanogenesis; and 2-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate pathway–mediated biosynthesis of vitamins and isoprenoids. Thus, humans are superorganisms whose metabolism represents an amalgamation of microbial and human attributes." [http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1124234]. An [[NIH]]-coordinated and -funded effort is currently in progress to characterize the [[Human microbiome project|human microbiome]].[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organism] | It is also argued that humans are actually a superorganism that includes microorganisms such as [[bacteria]]. It is estimated that "the human intestinal microbiota is composed of 10x13th to 10x14th microorganisms whose collective [[genome]] ("microbiome") contains at least 100 times as many genes as our own[...] Our microbiome has significantly enriched metabolism of glycans, amino acids, and xenobiotics; methanogenesis; and 2-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate pathway–mediated biosynthesis of vitamins and isoprenoids. Thus, humans are superorganisms whose metabolism represents an amalgamation of microbial and human attributes." [http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1124234]. An [[NIH]]-coordinated and -funded effort is currently in progress to characterize the [[Human microbiome project|human microbiome]].[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organism] |