SECRET SCIENCE CLUB PRESENTS

''WELCOME TO THE MICROBIOME - IT'S A WHOLE NEW YOU''
WITH MICROBIOLOGIST
MARTIN BLASER

Say hello to your little friends-all 100 trillion of them. Each of us harbors about 1,000 microbial species in ournoses, mouths, and guts; on our skin. Together, they weigh an astonishing 2 to 5 pounds. If you're worried about the aliens within, don't be. A torrent of new medical and genetic research shows that your microbiome is essential to your survival. These itty-bitty bugs help you metabolize food and build your immune system.

The director of NYU's Human Microbiome Program, Dr. Martin Blaser is at the forefront of this new research on the jungle of microorganisms inside us. While medical science has traditionally focused on "bad" microbes-the germs that cause illness-and how to eradicate them, Dr. Blaser and other pioneering researchers have flipped that idea inside-out, investigating good germs and their role in health and disease. Dr. Blaser discusses:

--How did the human microbiome evolve? Are we humans actually ecosystems, superorganisms, or symbionts?

-- How does the widespread use of antibiotics affect our microbiota and our health?

--Why are birth and early life such important times for our microbiomes?

--How are obesity, asthma, diabetes, and even mood swings linked to changes in our microbiota?

--What new microbial medicines might be in our future?

Before & After

--Try our bugged-out cocktail of the night, the Super Organism

--Wiggle to grooves that wriggle

--Stick around for the brain-boggling Q&A