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Woman: GOOD JOB, YES, JUST LIKE THAT.
Narrator: IT'S THE FINAL LEG OF A 9-MONTH JOURNEY.
MOM AND DAD ANXIOUSLY AWAIT THEIR NEW ARRIVAL.
BUT THEY AREN'T THE ONLY ONES.
FOR 40 WEEKS, BABY HAS LIVED SEALED UP IN HERE.
SAFE, STERILE, SOLITARY.
[HEARTBEAT]
BUT THE WORLD AWAITING HIM OUTSIDE THE WOMB
IS A VERY DIFFERENT PLACE.
WE CAN'T SEE THEM, BUT MILLIONS OF MICROSCOPIC CRITTERS
OCCUPY JUST ABOUT EVERY SQUARE INCH OF SPACE.
Doctor: DEEP BREATH.
LET'S GO, ONE, TWO, THREE...
Narrator: TRY AS WE MIGHT TO STERILIZE
AND SANITIZE THEM AWAY,
NEW BATTALIONS OF BACTERIA, VIRUSES AND OTHER MICROBES
ARE ALWAYS AT THE READY TO FILL THEIR RANKS.
Doctor: ALRIGHT, DEEP BREATH, AND BEAR DOWN.
LET'S GO.
Narrator: RIGHT NOW, WHOLE SQUADRONS ARE STANDING BY
TO INFILTRATE BABY THE MOMENT HE COMES OUT...
Doctor: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
[CRYING]
Narrator: STREPTOCOCCUS, STAPHYLOCOCCUS, LACTOBACILLUS...
JUST A HANDFUL OF THE THOUSANDS OF CRITTERS
WITH SCARY-SOUNDING NAMES RACING TO COLONIZE BABY'S BODY.
SKIN TO MOUTH TO GUTS, IT'S A FULL-ON ALIEN ASSAULT,
WITH EACH NEW CRITTER VYING FOR SPACE.
HORRIFYING AS IT SEEMS,
BABIES HAVE BEEN SUBJECT TO THIS MICROBE INVASION
FOR AS LONG AS WE'VE BEEN HUMAN, EVEN LONGER.
AND IT TURNS OUT, THAT'S A GOOD THING.
THE START OF A MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL RELATIONSHIP
HONED OVER MILLIONS OF YEARS.
Lita Proctor: UNTIL RECENTLY,
ALL THE MICROBES WE THOUGHT ABOUT
WHEN WE THOUGHT ABOUT THE HUMAN BODY WERE GERMS,
RIGHT, INFECTIOUS AGENTS.
BUT IN FACT, THE VAST MAJORITY OF MICROBES
THAT WE COME IN CONTACT WITH ON A DAILY BASIS,
AND THE ONES THAT LIVE WITH US, ARE ACTUALLY BENEFICIAL.
THEY BELONG HERE, THEY LIVE IN OUR BODIES.
AND OUR BODIES RELY ON THEIR ACTIVITIES TO KEEP US HEALTHY.
Narrator: BY THE TIME HE LEAVES THE HOSPITAL,
OUR BABY WILL HAVE 10 TIMES MORE MICROBIAL CELLS
THRIVING IN AND ON HIM THAN HIS OWN HUMAN CELLS,
FENDING OFF INVADERS, PRODUCING ENERGY, HELPING HIM GROW.
WHAT'S SCARY IS THE EFFECT MODERN LIFE AND MEDICINE
WILL HAVE ON THEM.
Maria Gloria Dominguez Bello: WE HAVE SUCCEEDED
IN CONTROLLING INFECTIOUS DISEASES,
CONTROLLING PATHOGENS AT A COST.
AND THAT COLLATERAL COST IS ON OUR OWN MICROBES.
Narrator: WHILE BABY WILL NO DOUBT FIGHT
FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE TO KEEP BAD MICROBES OUT,
MORE AND MORE WE'RE LEARNING THAT JUST AS IMPORTANT
WILL BE MAKING SURE THE RIGHT MICROBES GET IN.
ONCE UPON A TIME, AND REALLY NOT ALL THAT LONG AGO,
PEOPLE WERE OBLIVIOUS TO THE MICROBES
LIVING IN, ON AND AROUND US.
DIRT, MUCK, NATURE WAS ALL A PART OF LIFE.
TODAY, NOT SO MUCH.
FOR MOST OF US, LIFE LOOKS LIKE THIS--
PAVED, STERILE, ANTIBACTERIAL.
SEALED BEHIND DOUBLE-PANED GLASS AND BREATHING FILTERED AIR,
WE SPEND 90% OF OUR LIVES HOLED UP INDOORS.
ANY MICROBES THAT DO MAKE THEIR WAY INTO OUR MODERNIZED BUBBLES,
WE TRY OUR BEST TO KILL OFF.
WE'VE ENGAGED IN THIS BATTLE FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY NOW.
EVER SINCE SCIENTISTS FIRST PEERED THROUGH THEIR MICROSCOPES
AND STARTED IDENTIFYING THE ALIENS INSIDE US,
THEY WERE THE BAD GUYS, THE NASTY GERMS THAT MADE US SICK.
Maria Gloria: MICROBES WERE BORN TO HUMAN KNOWLEDGE AS ENEMIES,
SO WE DECLARED WAR TO MICROBES.
Narrator: "DEATH TO MICROBES" BECAME MEDICINE'S MANTRA.
Martin Blaser: CHOLERA, PLAGUE, TUBERCULOSIS,
THESE ARE ALL BACTERIAL DISEASES,
AND THEY'VE BEEN TERRIBLE.
AND WE HAVE BEEN AT WAR WITH THESE TERRIBLE ORGANISMS
TO TRY TO CONTROL THEM SO THAT WE CAN HAVE GOOD, HEALTHY LIVES.
Narrator: AND WITH THE ADVENT OF ANTIBIOTICS
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LAST CENTURY,
WE SUDDENLY WIELDED A WEAPON
THAT WOULD GIVE US A LEG UP IN THE WAR.
Man: IN THE HANDS OF THE DOCTOR,
THE ANTIBIOTICS ARE POWERFUL WEAPONS,
STRIKING AS THEY DO AT THE VERY ROOTS
OF AN INCREASING NUMBER OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
Narrator: NO DOUBT THE DISCOVERY OF ANTIBIOTICS
IS ONE OF HUMANITY'S GREATEST ACHIEVEMENTS,
SAVING COUNTLESS MILLIONS OF LIVES.
BUT LIKE ANY WAR, THIS ONE WASN'T WITHOUT ITS COSTS.
IN JUST THE LAST FEW YEARS,
SCIENTISTS HAVE BEGUN DISCOVERING
A LOT OF FRIENDLY FIRE.
Maria Gloria: WE STARTED STUDYING MICROBES
BECAUSE OF THE DISEASES THEY CAUSED.
AND THAT MADE US PREJUDICED AGAINST ALL MICROBES.
NOW WE ARE LEARNING THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF GOOD MICROBES.
BUT WITH THE MEANS WE ARE USING TO CONTROL THE BAD GUYS,
WE ARE CAUSING TERRIBLE DAMAGE TO THE GOOD GUYS.
Narrator: TRY AS WE MIGHT TO EXTERMINATE THEM,
WE'RE INCREASINGLY DISCOVERING WE NEED THESE MICROBES
EVERY BIT AS MUCH AS THEY NEED US.
IN FACT, LOOK CLOSE ENOUGH AND YOU'LL BEGIN TO REALIZE,
THEY ARE US.
FROM THE MOMENT WE'RE BORN,
EVERY ONE OF US TEEMS WITH TRILLIONS OF MICROORGANISMS,
FROM OUR ELBOWS AND ARMPITS, TO OUR MOUTH AND GUTS.
AND MOST OF THEM DON'T MAKE US SICK--QUITE THE OPPOSITE.
ON OUR SKIN, STAPHYLOCOCCUS SECRETES A FILM
THAT KEEPS IT MOIST AND SUPPLE,
PRODUCING A BARRIER THAT KEEPS INFECTIOUS GERMS OUT.
LINING OUR NASAL CAVITIES, A BENIGN SPECIES OF LACTOBACILLUS
PROTECTS AGAINST SINUSITIS.
THEIR MERE PRESENCE REDUCES INFLAMMATION
BY CROWDING OUT OTHER INVADERS AND DRIVING THEM AWAY.
[SNEEZES]
AND DOWN IN OUR COLONS,
BACTEROIDES--
ONE OF HUNDREDS OF BACTERIAL SPECIES THAT DWELL DOWN HERE--
HELP SYNTHESIZE VITAMIN K,
AN ESSENTIAL NUTRIENT FOR CLOTTING BLOOD
AND MAINTAINING BONE HEALTH THAT WE COULDN'T LIVE WITHOUT.
ALTOGETHER, SOME 100 TRILLION MICROBIAL CELLS
CRAWL IN AND ON US...
TEN TIMES MORE THAN OUR OWN HUMAN CELLS.
WITH NEARLY 10,000 DIFFERENT SPECIES
ALL ADAPTED TO DIFFERENT HABITATS AND CONDITIONS,
THE HUMAN BODY, IT TURNS OUT, IS AN ENTIRE ECOSYSTEM UNTO ITSELF.
Martin: SO THIS IS A NEW FRONTIER, INNER SPACE.
OUR INNER SPACE IS AS COMPLEX A PHENOMENON AS OUTER SPACE.
Narrator: DESPITE OUR MILLIONS OF YEARS OF LIVING TOGETHER,
WE'RE ONLY JUST NOW GETTING ACQUAINTED
WITH OUR RESIDENT COLLECTION OF MICROBES--OUR MICROBIOMES.
AND ONE THING IS TROUBLING...
IT SEEMS NEARLY A CENTURY OF ANTIBIOTICS, ANTISEPTICS,
AND OTHER ANTIMICROBIAL PRACTICES
IS TAKING ITS TOLL ON THEM.
Maria Gloria: WE ARE CAUSING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE.
IT'S LIKE AN ATOMIC BOMB IN OUR BODY.
A LOT OF INNOCENT BYSTANDERS OR EVEN GOOD GUYS DIE.
AND THEN WE NEVER GO BACK TO THE INITIAL HEALTHY BALANCE.
AND WHEN WE IMPACT EARLY ENOUGH,
THAT MAY CAUSE PERMANENT DAMAGE.
Narrator: TAKE H. PYLORI,
A BACTERIUM THAT'S TAKEN UP RESIDENCE IN THE HUMAN GUT
FOR MORE THAN 100,000 YEARS.
WE'VE NURTURED A KIND OF LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP
WITH THIS LITTLE ***.
ON THE ONE HAND, IT HELPS US
BY ORCHESTRATING OUR GASTRIC HORMONES, AIDING IN DIGESTION,
SIGNALING WHEN WE'RE HUNGRY, AND PRODUCING ENERGY.
ON THE OTHER, IT ALSO HAPPENS TO BE THE NOTORIOUS CRITTER
BEHIND STOMACH ULCERS AND CANCERS,
SECRETING A CHEMICAL THAT EATS AWAY AT OUR STOMACH LINING.
FOR BETTER OR WORSE, 100 YEARS AGO,
NEARLY 100% OF BABIES BORN IN THE U.S.
HAD H. PYLORI LINING THEIR INTESTINES.
TODAY, THANKS TO AN EVER-INCREASING
USE OF ANTIBIOTICS,
ONLY 6% OF NEWBORNS HAVE IT.
H. PYLORI, SAYS NYU CHIEF OF MEDICINE MARTIN BLASER,
IS A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD.
Martin: THIS WAS AN ANCIENT ORGANISM
THAT WE ALL HAD THAT HAS DISAPPEARED.
AND ULCER DISEASE IS DISAPPEARING, WHICH IS GREAT.
BUT NOW OTHER DISEASES ARE RISING.
AND THOSE DISEASES ARE RISING DRAMATICALLY.
Narrator: REFLUX, ESOPHAGEAL DISEASE,
EVEN SOME CANCERS ARE ALL ON THE UPSWING,
BECAUSE THIS ONE BACTERIAL SPECIES AMONG THOUSANDS
HAS GONE MISSING.
AND H. PYLORI IS JUST THE BEGINNING.
MANY OF THE DISEASES NOW PLAGUING
THE DEVELOPED WORLD-- ALLERGIES, ASTHMA,
INFECTIOUS DISEASES, CROHN'S DISEASE, DIABETES,
OBESITY, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION--
ALL ARE BEING LINKED AT LEAST IN PART
TO THE LOSS OF THE ALIENS INSIDE US.
AND MEDICINE IS JUST BEGINNING TO WAKE UP TO IT.
Maria Gloria: WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND OUR FRIENDS
AS WELL AS WE UNDERSTAND OUR ENEMIES.
AND WE ARE NOT YET THERE.
WE HAVE MUCH MORE FRIENDS THAN ENEMIES,
SO IT'S GOING TO BE HARDER.
Narrator: FOR MARIA GLORIA DOMINGUEZ BELLO,
THE FIRST STEP IN CHARTING THIS ALIEN NEW WORLD
IS TO SEEK OUT THE LITTLE FRIENDS THAT LIVED IN AND ON US
BEFORE OUR ALL-OUT WAR AGAINST MICROBES BEGAN...
FRIENDS THAT SHE BELIEVES WE STILL DEPEND ON.
TO DO IT, SHE, ALONG WITH HER TEAM
FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO,
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY, AND PERU'S MINISTRY OF HEALTH,
ARE HEADED ABOUT AS FAR FROM MODERN CIVILIZATION
AS ONE CAN GET--
THE AMAZON RAINFOREST.
BEGINNING WITH A CHARTER FLIGHT
COURTESY OF THE PERUVIAN MILITARY,
THE TEAM SETS OFF FROM IQUITOS, PERU,
TO AN AIRSTRIP DEEP IN THE AMAZON.
FROM THERE, IT'S STILL ANOTHER TWO DAYS BY BOAT
TO A TINY VILLAGE CALLED CHECHERTA,
AND ONE OF THE MOST REMOTE INDIGENOUS GROUPS ON EARTH.
MARIA GLORIA BELIEVES THEY HOST A SACRED SOURCE
OF THE ANCIENT MICROBES WE ALL EVOLVED WITH.
Maria Gloria: WE WANT PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN ISOLATION
AND DON'T HAVE OUR PRACTICES,
DON'T USE SOAPS, DON'T USE ANTIBIOTICS,
AND ALL THESE THINGS THAT WE THINK IMPACT OUR MICROBES
THAT LIVE IN OUR BODIES.
Narrator: EVEN WAY OUT HERE,
DAYS AWAY FROM THE NEAREST CELL TOWERS AND GAS STATIONS,
THOSE PEOPLE ARE HARD TO FIND.
Martin: IF THE GOAL IS TO SAMPLE PEOPLE
WHO HAVE HAD MINIMAL EXPOSURE TO ANTIBIOTICS, HERE WE ARE.
EVEN IN THE LITTLE VILLAGES, IN THE DISPENSARIES,
THEY'RE FULL OF ANTIBIOTICS.
SO WE'RE INTERESTED IN THE PEOPLE
WHO ARE JUST BEYOND THE EDGE,
WHO HAVEN'T GOTTEN THAT PROGRESS,
SO WE CAN BEGIN TO EVALUATE WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE.
Narrator: THREE DAYS AND A COUPLE OF HUNDRED RIVER MILES LATER,
THEY ARE ABOUT TO PEER INTO AN ANCIENT, INVISIBLE UNIVERSE
THAT WE'RE ONLY BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND.
MORE SPECIES SWIM, CRAWL, SLITHER, BUZZ, AND GROW
IN THE PERUVIAN AMAZON
THAN JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE ELSE ON THE PLANET.
BUT MARIA GLORIA DOMINGUEZ BELLO IS HERE TO EXPLORE
AN ECOSYSTEM NO LESS DIVERSE--
THE HUMAN BODY.
THOUSANDS OF SPECIES OF MICROBES LIVE IN AND ON EACH ONE OF US.
AND MARIA GLORIA IS PART OF A REVOLUTIONARY NEW QUEST
TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY ALL DO.
Maria Gloria: WE JUST ARRIVED IN CHECHERTA FINALLY
AFTER, WHAT, 9 HOURS IN A BOAT TODAY.
Martin: 10.
Maria Gloria: 10.
AND WE ARE WAITING FOR THE APO,
THE CHIEF OF THE COMMUNITY TO ALLOW US TO COME IN.
Narrator: THE CHECHERTA ARE ONE OF DOZENS
OF REMOTE AMERINDIAN TRIBES
THAT HAVE INHABITED THE AMAZON FOR MILLENNIA.
WHILE MISSIONARIES HAVE MADE THEIR WAY HERE OVER THE YEARS,
PROVIDING MODERN CLOTHING AND LIMITED SUPPLIES,
THE CHECHERTA RARELY, IF EVER, CONFRONTED ANTIBIOTICS,
TOUCHED ANTIBACTERIAL SOAPS, OR BREATHED CONDITIONED AIR.
AS A RESULT, THEIR MICROBIOMES--
THE COMMUNITY OF ORGANISMS
THAT TAKE UP RESIDENCE IN AND ON THEM--
ARE RELATIVELY PRISTINE.
AND THE TEAM IS ANXIOUS TO SEE WHAT THEY'RE MADE OF.
AFTER SOME NEGOTIATION, THE APO, OR CHIEF,
AGREES TO RECEIVE THE GROUP,
AND THE WHOLE VILLAGE COMES OUT TO WELCOME THEM.
Maria Gloria: MUCHO GUSTO. GRACIAS.
YEAH, IT'S GOOD.
THE APO IS SITTING IN THAT CORNER, AND HE DIDN'T MOVE,
BUT WE ARE WELCOME, NOW WE CAN HANG OUR HAMMOCKS.
Narrator: THE CHECHERTA MAY BE ISOLATED,
BUT THEY'RE NO STRANGERS TO DISEASE.
INSTEAD OF ASTHMA AND OBESITY,
THEY GET MALARIA, PARASITES AND OTHER INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
AND THEY WANT TREATMENTS.
THE TRICK FOR DOCTORS LIKE NYU'S ORALEE BRANCH
IS MAKING SURE THEY DON'T TRADE ONE SET OF DISEASES FOR ANOTHER.
Oralee Branch: AND THEIR WHOLE LIFESTYLE IS MORE ACUTE.
THEY GO OUT, THEY GO HUNTING, THEY GET SICK,
AND THEY RECOGNIZE THAT.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THEY ARE PROGRESSING.
I THINK THAT THE CHALLENGE FOR US
IS TO LEARN HOW TO ENVELOPE THESE COMMUNITIES INTO OUR WORLD
BUT STILL BE ABLE TO PROTECT CULTURE,
KEEP IN THEIR MORE NATURAL STATE,
WHICH PROBABLY, FOR THE MICROBIOME, IS A BETTER STATE.
Narrator: FIRST LIGHT, AND THE TEAM CAN FINALLY GET TO WORK.
THE PLAN--TAKE DNA SAMPLES
FROM DOZENS OF CHECHERTA MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN,
ALONG WITH THEIR HOUSES, WORK SPACES,
AND EVEN LIVESTOCK AND PETS,
TO SEE WHAT MICROBES LIVE IN, ON AND ALL AROUND THEM.
IT'S A DAUNTING CHALLENGE.
Martin: VERY UNHAPPY CHICKEN, BUT WE GOT IT.
EACH SAMPLE HAS A HUGE, VERITABLE ZOO OF ORGANISMS
WITH MULTIPLE DIFFERENT SPECIES.
AND BY UNDERSTANDING WHAT SPECIES ARE COMMON HERE
AND WHAT SPECIES ARE COMMON IN NORTH AMERICA AND OTHER PLACES,
WE CAN BEGIN TO LOOK AT THE RELATIONSHIPS--
WHAT'S CONSERVED AND WHAT'S BEEN LOST.
Narrator: TURNS OUT THE HUMAN BODY IS A ZOO UNTO ITSELF.
HANDS, FEET, ELBOWS, MOUTHS, INTESTINES--
EACH IS ITS OWN ECOSYSTEM,
AS UNIQUELY SUITED TO THE MICROBES THAT LIVE THERE
AS A DESERT OR A RAINFOREST.
JUST LIKE ANY HABITAT, WHEN CONDITIONS CHANGE,
SO DOES ITS DIVERSITY OF CREATURES.
THE RESEARCHERS HAVE THE TASK OF MEASURING ALL OF THIS.
AND MARIA GLORIA SUSPECTS THE CHECHERTA
HAVE VERY DIFFERENT MICROBES THAN WE DO.
Maria Gloria: WE HAVE SOME PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE,
AND THE DIFFERENCES ARE HUGE.
WE TEND TO HAVE, FOR EXAMPLE,
MORE BACTERIA IN THE MOUTH, MORE DIVERSITY.
AND THAT'S LIKE, KIND OF SHOCKING,
BECAUSE WE THOUGHT THEY WOULD BE MORE DIVERSE,
BECAUSE WE USE TOOTHPASTE AND FLUORIDE.
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS,
BUT WE DO HAVE MORE DIVERSITY THAN THEM.
IN THE INTESTINE, WE TEND TO HAVE LESS DIVERSITY THAN THEM.
Narrator: THE SCIENTISTS ARE STILL DETERMINING
THEIR SIGNIFICANCE,
BUT MANY OF THESE FLUCTUATIONS ARE LIKELY DRIVEN BY DIET--
LIKE MORE STARCHY VEGETABLES AND FIBER,
AND LESS PROTEIN AND FAT...
ALL PART OF THE CHECHERTA'S NATURAL LIFESTYLE.
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
Fredy Vargas [translated]:
WE GROW AND HARVEST THINGS.
YUCCA AND PLANTAINS AND POTATOES.
WE TAKE HERBS WHEN OUR HEADS OR STOMACHS HURT.
Narrator: THE RESEARCHERS TAKE NOTE
OF THESE TRADITIONAL REMEDIES,
WHICH MAY HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE CHECHERTA'S MICROBES,
FOR BETTER OR WORSE.
HEAD INTO ANY VILLAGE HOME
AT JUST ABOUT ANY TIME OF DAY, FOR EXAMPLE,
AND YOU'LL FIND A BUBBLING POT OF MASATO,
AN ALCOHOLIC BREW MADE FROM THE YUCCA PLANT.
TO FERMENT IT--TURN THE SUGAR IN THE FRUIT TO ALCOHOL--
TAKES A VERY SPECIAL INGREDIENT--
SALIVA FROM THE ENTIRE FAMILY.
IT MAY NOT SEEM APPETIZING,
BUT MEN HERE CAN SPEND HOURS SIPPING THE BREW,
ONE OF MANY TRADITIONS
WHICH THEY SAY KEEPS THEM FIT AND HEALTHY.
MASHKIASH IMPIKIT TII IS THE RECENTLY ELECTED
CHIEF OF THE VILLAGE.
Mashkiash Impikit Tii [translated]: WE EAT A LOT OF FRUIT,
FISH AND OTHER ANIMALS, SO WE ARE ALL HEALTHY.
THE WOMEN ALWAYS KEEP EVERYTHING IN ORDER,
ASK THEIR DAUGHTERS TO SWEEP.
WE ALWAYS BATHE, VOMIT,
AND THAT'S HOW WE MAINTAIN OURSELVES.
Narrator: THAT'S RIGHT, VOMIT.
EVERY MORNING AROUND 3:00 A.M.,
MEN OVER 15 GATHER AROUND THE FIRE,
DRINK A TEA MADE FROM THE TOXIC LEAF OF THE HUAYUSCA PLANT,
AND WITHIN ABOUT 15 MINUTES...
THEY CLAIM IT GIVES THEM STRENGTH AND VITALITY.
ONE CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT IT DOES TO THEIR MICROBIOMES.
Oralee: THE MICROBIOME CONTROLS EVERYTHING.
IT CONTROLS THE IMMUNE RESPONSE,
IT CONTROLS THE WAY YOU METABOLIZE,
WHETHER OR NOT YOU HAVE OBESITY.
SO JUST BY MEN, AFTER AGE 15,
TAKING THIS DRINK AND VOMITING EVERY NIGHT,
IT MIGHT CHANGE THEIR MICROBIOME.
Narrator: VOMITING, COMMUNAL SALIVA DRINKS,
ALL OF IT HAS AN EFFECT,
AND THE RESEARCHERS ARE GOING TO TRY TO MAKE SENSE OF IT ALL.
Oralee: WE WILL GO THROUGH
AND LOOK AT THE DIVERSITY OF THE MICROBIOME IN THE GUT
AND ASSOCIATE THAT WITH WEIGHT AND HEIGHT AND AGE
TO SEE IF THERE'S AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE MICROBIOME
AND THE GROWTH AND HEALTH OF AN INDIVIDUAL.
Maria Gloria: ¿PEDRO? ¿COMO SE LLAMA PEDRO?
Narrator: SO FAR, WE CAN'T SAY WHETHER
THE CHECHERTA'S ALL-NATURAL, ANTIBIOTIC-FREE MICROBIOMES
FOSTER HEALTHIER MICROBES THAN LIFE IN THE DEVELOPED WORLD.
MARIA GLORIA KNOWS THE ANSWERS WON'T BE SO CUT AND DRY.
Maria Gloria: WHOEVER SURVIVES HERE HAS A--
PROBABLY AN OPTIMUM IMMUNE SYSTEM.
YOU CAN SEE THEY ARE NOT MALNOURISHED.
THEIR DIET IS ALL-NATURAL.
THEY DO A LOT OF EXERCISE-- WALKING, RUNNING, WORKING.
BUT OF COURSE THEY ARE VICTIMS OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
THAT WE HAVE ALL THE MEANS TO CONTROL.
Narrator: IT'S A FINE BALANCE.
THE ULTIMATE WOULD BE
TO NEUTRALIZE THE INFECTIOUS MICROBES THAT CAUSE DISEASE
WHILE NURTURING THE ONES THAT KEEP US HEALTHY.
TO DO THAT, WE NEED TO PEER INSIDE
OUR MICROSCOPIC UNIVERSES WITHIN
AND START FIGURING OUT HOW OUR TRILLIONS OF MICROBES
GOT HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE.
IF WE WANT TO COEXIST PEACEFULLY WITH THE ALIENS INSIDE US,
IT MAY HELP TO UNDERSTAND
HOW OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH MICROBES BEGAN.
TURNS OUT, THAT WAS A VERY LONG TIME AGO.
Martin: THE EARLIEST LIFE ON EARTH WAS BACTERIA.
AND FOR THE FIRST BILLION AND A HALF OR TWO BILLION YEARS,
IT WAS ALL BACTERIA,
AND THEN LARGER FORMS OF LIFE STARTED TO EVOLVE.
Narrator: AS EVOLUTION MARCHED ON,
THOSE FIRST EARLY CRITTERS NEVER LEFT.
LIFE EVOLVED IN LOCKSTEP WITH OUR MICROBIAL ANCESTORS--
SOMETIMES ALONGSIDE EACH OTHER, SOMETIMES MUCH CLOSER.
SOMETIMES WE WENT TO WAR.
[BURPS]
BUT MUCH MORE LIKELY, WE ADAPTED TO NEW CONDITIONS TOGETHER.
WE GOT THINGS LIKE EXTRA ENERGY AND IMMUNITY.
THEY GOT FREE ROOM AND BOARD.
Lita: ALL LIVING THINGS HAVE ASSOCIATED MICROBES,
BECAUSE MICROBES ARE ON THIS PLANET FIRST--
THE PLANTS, YOUR PETS AT HOME, YOUR KIDS, YOU.
THERE ARE 10 TIMES MORE MICROBIAL CELLS THAN HUMAN CELLS
IN AND ON HUMAN BODIES.
SO WHEN YOU LOOK IN THE MIRROR,
IF YOU SEE A HUMAN FACE,
ACTUALLY WHAT YOU ARE REALLY LOOKING AT ARE MICROBES.
Narrator: BACTERIA, VIRUSES, FUNGI, PROTOZOANS--
THE AVERAGE PERSON CARRIES SOME 100 TRILLION MICROBES
AROUND WITH THEM EVERY DAY--
SOME THREE TO FOUR POUNDS' WORTH--
THAT'S ABOUT AS HEAVY AS OUR BRAINS.
FOR EVERY ONE WE KNOW--
H. PYLORI, LACTOBACILLUS, STREPTOCOCCUS--
THERE ARE THOUSANDS WE DON'T.
BUT FROM OUR MOUTHS TO OUR GUTS TO OUR BELLY BUTTONS--
WHERE MORE THAN 60 DIFFERENT TYPES OF BACTERIA
RESIDE, BY THE WAY--
ALL OF THEM HAVE CO-EVOLVED WITH US TO HELP MAKE US, US.
Maria Gloria: SO, IT'S A NEW WORLD FOR US.
WE ARE JUST LEARNING.
Narrator: RECENTLY, SCIENTISTS TOOK A HUGE STEP
TO START DECODING THIS ALIEN WORLD INSIDE US.
BUILDING ON THE TECHNIQUES OF THE HUMAN GENOME PROJECT
10 YEARS AGO,
THE HUMAN MICROBIOME PROJECT IS TRACKING HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE
AND THEIR MICROBES TO SEE WHICH ONES LIVE WHERE
IN A HEALTHY HUMAN BODY, AND WHAT THEY DO.
THEIR FINDINGS SO FAR HAVE SURPRISED EVEN THE RESEARCHERS.
LITA PROCTOR IS THE PROJECT'S DIRECTOR.
Lita: THERE'S UPWARDS OF 10,000 DIFFERENT SPECIES
OF MICROBES THAT LIVE WITH HUMANS.
AND WHEN I SAY LIVE WITH HUMANS,
I DON'T MEAN IN THE PRESENCE OF DISEASE,
I MEAN IN HEALTHY PEOPLE, LIKE YOU AND ME,
WE'RE ALL HOSTS TO THESE MICROBES.
Narrator: AND THE REALLY RADICAL PART--
THOSE MICROBES LEND THEIR GENES TO US.
SO WHEREAS JUST A FEW YEARS AGO WE THOUGHT THE HUMAN GENOME,
WITH ITS 23,000 GENES,
WAS THE BE-ALL, END-ALL OF A HUMAN BEING,
DRIVING ALL THE CELLS, ORGANS, AND CHEMICAL PROCESSES
THAT KEEP US HUMMING,
NOW IT SEEMS ALL THOSE ANCIENT LIFE-FORMS RESIDING IN AND ON US
CHURN OUT GENES WE NEED, TOO...
A LOT OF THEM.
Lita: AND WE'RE ESTIMATING AT THIS POINT
SOMETHING LIKE UPWARDS OF EIGHT MILLION,
EIGHT MILLION UNIQUE MICROBIAL GENES
ASSOCIATED WITH OUR BODIES.
Narrator: JUST TO BE CLEAR,
THAT'S EIGHT MILLION GENES FROM MICROBES,
COMPARED TO ONLY 23,000 HUMAN GENES.
Martin: THAT'S ABOUT 250 TO 1.
WE'RE MORE THAN 99% MICROBIAL GENES COMPARED TO HUMAN GENES.
THEY'RE ENCODING FOR PROTEINS THAT DO WORK FOR US,
THEY MAKE ENZYMES,
THEY DIGEST THINGS, THEY CONVERT THINGS,
THEY ARE PART OF OUR BIOLOGY.
Narrator: FENDING OFF FOREIGN INVADERS,
DIGESTING FOOD, OR SYNTHESIZING VITAMINS,
WE'RE ONLY JUST BEGINNING TO COMPREHEND
ALL THE THINGS OUR MILLIONS OF MICROBIAL GENES DO FOR US.
WHAT IS CLEAR, WE NEED THEM TO KEEP ON DOING THEM.
AND THERE'S NO MORE CRITICAL TIME THAN THE BEGINNING.
Doctor: ...8, 9, 10.
Narrator: YOU'LL REMEMBER, INSIDE THE WOMB,
THERE ARE NO MICROBES.
IT'S JUST MOM AND BABY.
THE MOMENT WE LEAVE, ALL THAT CHANGES.
WHAT SCIENTISTS LIKE MARIA GLORIA ARE JUST LEARNING
IS THAT THIS INITIAL ALIEN INVASION
IS CRITICAL TO OUR OVERALL HEALTH.
AND MOM'S BODY IS TAILOR-MADE
TO MAKE SURE THE RIGHT INVADERS GET IN.
Maria Gloria: SO ALL MAMMALS HAVE THEIR BABIES FORM INSIDE,
ALL MAMMALS HAVE THEIR BABIES THROUGH A BIRTH CANAL
FULL OF BACTERIA, AND ALL MAMMALS DRINK MILK.
Narrator: MONTHS BEFORE BABY IS BORN,
WHILE HE'S STILL SAFE AND STERILE IN THE WOMB,
CERTAIN MICROBES IN MOM'S *** ARE ALREADY RALLYING
TO ENSURE BABY GETS THE MICROBES HE NEEDS AS HE PASSES THROUGH.
LEVELS OF THE BACTERIA LACTOBACILLUS, FOR EXAMPLE,
SIMILAR TO THE ONES IN YOGURT AND PROBIOTIC SUPPLEMENTS,
BEGIN RAMPING UP.
AND THAT'S NO ACCIDENT.
Maria Gloria: THE BABIES GROW, DEVELOP,
IN UTERO WITHOUT BACTERIA.
AND BEFORE THEY COME OUT, THEY HAVE TO CROSS THIS BIRTH CANAL
FULL OF LACTIC ACID BACTERIA, IT'S LIKE A YOGURT.
Narrator: DURING BIRTH, BABY GETS COATED IN THIS YOGURT,
SWALLOWS A BIT, AND LIKE PIONEERS SETTLING THE WEST,
THOSE LACTOBACILLUS PLANT THEIR FLAGS,
COLONIZE HIS GUT, AND EVENTUALLY HELP HIM DIGEST MILK.
Maria Gloria: ALL MAMMALS DRINK MILK, STRICTLY MILK,
SO THESE VAGINAL BACTERIA ARE PROBABLY VERY IMPORTANT.
Narrator: LIKE A CAREFULLY TENDED STARTER CULTURE
HANDED DOWN FROM MOM TO BABY SINCE THE DAWN OF OUR SPECIES,
THIS BAPTISM BY MICROBE IS NATURE'S WAY OF ENSURING
OUR HUMAN-MICROBE RELATIONSHIP REMAINS HEALTHY.
THE PROBLEM IS, THESE DAYS,
A STAGGERING NUMBER OF BABIES AREN'T BORN THIS WAY.
ONE THIRD OF ALL AMERICAN NEWBORNS,
MORE THAN A MILLION EACH YEAR,
BYPASS THE BIRTH CANAL AND ARE BORN SURGICALLY VIA C-SECTION.
AS A RESULT, THEY GET INFILTRATED
BY A WHOLE DIFFERENT SET OF MICROBES--
SKIN BACTERIA NOT JUST FROM MOM, BUT FROM DOCTORS, NURSES,
EVEN JUST BY BREATHING THE AIR IN THE OPERATING ROOM.
MARIA GLORIA, WHOSE OWN DAUGHTER WAS BORN VIA C-SECTION,
IS AMONG THE FIRST TO STUDY THEIR EFFECTS ON BABIES.
Maria Gloria: THE FIRST TIME WE DID THIS,
WE STUDIED C-SECTION BABIES,
WE WERE EXPECTING THE BABY TO BE STERILE,
BECAUSE IT COMES OUT FROM A GERM-FREE ENVIRONMENT
INTO GERM-FREE GLOVES.
AND WE WERE SHOCKED WHEN WE FOUND SKIN BACTERIA.
Narrator: SCIENTISTS AREN'T YET SURE
WHAT GETTING THE WRONG DOSE OF MICROBES MEANS EXACTLY.
BUT THEY DO KNOW ONE THING--
C-SECTION BABIES HAVE A HIGHER INCIDENCE OF CERTAIN DISEASES.
THEY SUFFER FROM ALLERGIES, ASTHMA,
AND OTHER IMMUNE DISORDERS
WAY MORE THAN NATURALLY-BORN BABIES DO.
AND IT MAY WELL BE BECAUSE THEY'RE MISSING THE MICROBES
THAT DISTINGUISH FRIEND FROM FOE.
Maria Gloria: THE FIRST BACTERIA THAT COLONIZE A BABY
ARE TRAINING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
AND TELLING THE BABY WHO ARE THE GOOD GUYS
SO THAT THE IMMUNE SYSTEM LEARNS TO DIFFERENTIATE
BETWEEN GOOD BACTERIA AND PATHOGENS.
Narrator: IF THE WRONG MICROBES GET IN FIRST,
THIS BALANCE IS UPSET FROM THE START.
NOT ONLY ARE WE MORE AT RISK FROM OUR ENEMIES,
OUR OWN IMMUNE SYSTEMS DON'T RECOGNIZE
AND CAN EVEN START ATTACKING OUR FRIENDS.
WITH OUR MICROBIOMES OUT OF WHACK,
WE PAY THE PRICE.
Martin: THE MICROBES ARE COMPETING FOR TURF,
AND IF THEY FILL UP THE TURF,
AND ALL THE NICHES ARE OCCUPIED,
IT'S HARDER FOR THE INVADER TO COME IN.
BUT IF THE STOMACH IS NOW EMPTY,
IT MAKES LIFE EASIER FOR THE INVADER.
Narrator: TODAY, FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER,
MARIA GLORIA WILL TRY TO MAKE IT
AS EASY FOR THE GOOD MICROBES AS POSSIBLE,
BY RECREATING THE BENEFITS OF A NATURAL BIRTH.
MARIA SANTIAGO'S ABOUT TO HAVE A C-SECTION.
BEFORE SHE DOES, MARIA GLORIA WILL INCUBATE
A PIECE OF GAUZE IN HER BIRTH CANAL FOR ABOUT AN HOUR,
SATURATING IT WITH THE BACTERIA BABY NEEDS.
Maria Gloria: WHEN THE BABY COMES OUT,
WE WILL CLEAN THE BABY WITH THAT GAUZE
AND HOPE THAT THOSE BACTERIA INOCULATE THE BABY.
Narrator: SOUNDS SIMPLE,
BUT THE TEAM WILL NEED TO WORK FAST.
JUST A FEW OF THE WRONG MICROBES
CAN DETERMINE THE OUTCOME OF THE ENTIRE RACE.
CHILDBIRTH MAY BE THE FIRST AND MOST DRAMATIC INTRODUCTION
TO THE MICROBIAL WORLD, BUT IT'S CERTAINLY NOT OUR LAST.
FROM THE FOOD WE EAT, TO THE PEOPLE WE MEET,
TO THE MEDICINES WE TAKE,
THROUGHOUT OUR LIVES WE ARE CONSTANTLY SHAPING AND RESHAPING
THE ALIENS INSIDE US...
AND NEVER MORE SO THAN IN THE LAST HUNDRED YEARS.
Maria Gloria: OKAY, YOU DO THIS ONE THEN.
Narrator: BACK IN THE AMAZON, MARIA GLORIA AND HER TEAM
RACE TO COLLECT AS MANY SAMPLES FROM THE CHECHERTA AS POSSIBLE
TO IDENTIFY WHICH MICROBES WE EVOLVED WITH,
AND WHICH ONES WE STILL LIKELY NEED.
Martin: 18 FEET, 6 INCHES.
SINCE *** SAPIENS BEGAN PERHAPS 200,000 YEARS AGO,
WE'VE ALL BEEN EVOLVING.
BUT IN THE LAST CENTURY,
WE IN THE WESTERN COUNTRIES HAVE REALLY DONE A LOT
TO CHANGE OUR MICROBES.
CHLORINATION OF WATER,
ANTISEPTICS, ANTIBIOTICS, CAESARIAN SECTIONS,
ALL OF THESE THINGS HAVE A BEARING
ON THE COMPOSITION OF OUR MICROBES.
AND SO WE'RE SEEKING OUT PEOPLES
WHO HAVE HAD LESS EXPOSURE TO THESE MODERN ISSUES
SO THAT WE CAN SAMPLE TO COMPARE WHAT THEY HAVE
WITH WHAT WE HAVE.
Narrator: THE MICROBES INSIDE US AREN'T A FIXED POPULATION.
THEY ARE AFFECTED BY OUR LIFESTYLES--
EVERYTHING FROM WHAT WE EAT TO WHERE WE SLEEP
TO HOW MUCH FRESH AIR WE'RE EXPOSED TO.
AS A RESULT, THE SCIENTISTS ARE NOT LIMITING THEIR SAMPLING
TO HUMANS ALONE.
IN ADDITION TO DOCTORS AND MICROBIOLOGISTS,
MARIA GLORIA HAS BROUGHT ALONG AN ENGINEER AND AN ARCHITECT
TO DETERMINE NOT JUST WHAT MICROBES LIVE HERE,
BUT WHERE THEY LIVE AND WHY.
Maria Gloria: THE MICROBES ARE ADAPTED TO THE DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS.
WALLS CAN BE TOUCHED BY HUMANS,
THERE MAY BE SKIN MICROBES THERE.
FOOD, MEAT, THERE COULD BE ANIMALS' MICROBES
IN THE KITCHEN OR VEGETABLES.
BUT THE IDEA IS TO ASSOCIATE USE OF SPACE WITH MICROBES.
Narrator: THEY CAN'T TEST EVERYTHING.
MICROBES ARE EVERYWHERE.
SO THEY FOCUS ON THE MAIN SOURCES
THAT COULD AFFECT OUR MICROBIOMES AND OUR HEALTH.
Martin: THERE ARE PRIMARY SOURCES OF MICROBES.
HUMANS ARE A PRIMARY SOURCE, ANIMALS ARE A PRIMARY SOURCE.
THE AIR AND THE ENVIRONMENT, THE SOIL IS A PRIMARY SOURCE.
AND THERE ARE WAYS TO DISSECT OUT IN A MIXTURE WHICH IS WHICH.
Narrator: THE SCIENTISTS SWAB FOR DNA
ON EVERYTHING FROM BEDS, TO COOKING SURFACES, TO CUPS.
BY THEN COMBINING THE DATA
WITH THINGS LIKE HUMIDITY, TEMPERATURE AND AIRFLOW,
THEY CAN DETERMINE WHICH BACTERIA LIKE LIVING WHERE,
AND HOW WE IN THE DEVELOPED WORLD MAY BE CHANGING THEM.
Martin: ANYTIME YOU CAN SEE COLOR, THERE ARE MICROBES.
EVEN WHEN YOU CAN'T SEE COLOR, THERE ARE MICROBES.
THAT WAS NUMBER EIGHT.
Maria Gloria: IN NEW YORK,
PEOPLE LIVE MAYBE 99% OF THEIR TIME INDOORS,
IN CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENTS,
BUT CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENTS ARE ALTERED ENVIRONMENTS
WHERE THERE IS VERY LITTLE NATURAL VENTILATION,
FOR EXAMPLE.
EVERYTHING IS CLEANED WITH BLEACH,
AND WE USE SOAPS AND ANTIBACTERIALS AND...
SO WE REALLY ARE GIVING OUR MICROBES
A PRETTY ARTIFICIAL LIFESTYLE.
HERE WHAT WE EXPECT TO FIND
IS THAT THEY WILL HAVE MUCH MORE ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBES
IN THEIR SKIN, ESPECIALLY SOIL.
THEY MAY BE MORE TOLERANT TO ALL THESE ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBES,
BECAUSE THEY HAVE A GOOD TRAINED IMMUNE SYSTEM.
Narrator: TO PROVE WHETHER OR NOT THE CHECHERTA'S MICROBES
PROVIDE A MORE ROBUST IMMUNE SYSTEM THAN OURS,
MARIA GLORIA NEEDS TO EXTEND HER SEARCH,
2,000 MILES DOWNRIVER TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE AMAZON,
WHERE SHE'LL TRADE ONE KIND OF JUNGLE FOR ANOTHER.
WELCOME TO MANAUS, BRAZIL, THE AMAZON'S LARGEST CITY.
WITH MORE THAN A MILLION PEOPLE AND A THRIVING ECONOMY,
IT HAS ALL THE AMENITIES OF A WESTERN, DEVELOPED CITY.
SINCE IT'S ABOUT THE SAME LATITUDE AS CHECHERTA,
WITH SIMILAR NATURAL HABITATS AND CLIMATES,
MARIA GLORIA BELIEVES IT'S THE PERFECT PLACE
TO COMPARE THE NATURAL MICROBES WE LIKELY EVOLVED WITH
TO THE ONES SHAPED BY MODERN LIFE.
AT HER HIGH-RISE CONDO IN DOWNTOWN MANAUS,
ROSANGELA DE ANDRADE LIVES FAR FROM THE WILDS OF THE JUNGLE.
SEALED OFF FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD
BEHIND WINDOWS AND AIR CONDITIONING,
SHE'S A SELF-CONFESSED GERMOPHOBE,
RELIGIOUSLY MOPPING HER FLOORS WITH BLEACH,
SCRUBBING HER DISHES WITH ANTIBACTERIAL CLEANSERS,
AND BATHING THREE TIMES A DAY.
Rosangela de Andrade: I LOVE TO WASTE A WHOLE BAR OF SOAP.
I LIKE THE SMELL OF IT.
BUT MY FRIENDS SAY THAT IT'S A MANIA,
LIKE A MANIA I HAVE.
I HAVE TO GO TO THE PSYCHOLOGIST.
[LAUGHS]
DIRTY.
Narrator: ROSANGELA MAY NOT LIKE TO THINK ABOUT IT,
BUT FOR EVERY MICROBE SHE KILLS,
SHE'S CONSTANTLY SHEDDING AND STIRRING UP MORE.
Maria Gloria: BACTERIA ARE EVERYWHERE.
IMAGINE IN THE AIR,
A CUBIC METER OF AIR WILL HAVE ABOUT 10 MILLION BACTERIA.
THERE MIGHT BE DIFFERENT KINDS OF BACTERIA, LOTS OF DIVERSITY,
SKIN BACTERIA PROBABLY.
IF YOU HAVE A DOG, THE DOG BACTERIA.
THEY ARE EVERYWHERE.
WE HAVE TO BREATHE THEM, WE HAVE TO LIVE WITH THEM,
AND WE JUST HAVE TO KNOW WHICH ONES ARE GOOD
AND WHICH ONES ARE HARMFUL.
Martin: NICE DOGGY.
Narrator: JUST AS THEY DID IN CHECHERTA,
THE TEAM SWABS FOR DNA
FROM PEOPLE, PETS, AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTS
TO IDENTIFY ALL THE MICROBES THAT LIVE HERE.
ALL THE WHILE, TAKING VISUAL AND QUANTITATIVE SNAPSHOTS,
COMPARING CITY LIFE TO THAT OF THE RAINFOREST.
Martin: WE'RE TRYING TO SAMPLE THE SAME FUNCTIONAL PLACES
ACROSS ALL THE DIFFERENT HABITATIONS.
KITCHENS HAVE A CENTRAL FUNCTION.
BATHROOMS HAVE A FUNCTION.
BEDROOMS HAVE A FUNCTION.
LIVING ROOMS HAVE A FUNCTION.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO DO THE PARALLEL PLACES
IN EACH HABITATION.
Narrator: BY TAKING DETAILED MEASUREMENTS AND SKETCHES
OF EACH LOCATION,
ARCHITECT HUMBERTO CAVALLIN GENERATES 3D RENDERINGS
OF THE HOMES.
THE SEGREGATED LIVING SPACES OF THE CITY--
BEDROOMS, KITCHENS, BATHROOMS, LIVING ROOMS--
PROVIDE A STARK CONTRAST TO THE OPENNESS OF THE JUNGLE HOMES,
WHERE ROOMS AND WALLS ARE UNHEARD OF.
BY COUPLING THE LAYOUT OF THE ROOMS WITH THE BIOLOGY DATA,
THE SCIENTISTS CAN HOME IN
ON WHERE DIFFERENT MICROBES LIKE TO LIVE.
ENGINEER ATILA NOVOSELAC AND GRAD STUDENT GINA RUIZ
ASSESS THE LIVING CONDITIONS OF EACH LOCATION.
BY INJECTING CARBON DIOXIDE INTO THE HOMES, FOR EXAMPLE,
AND MEASURING HOW LONG IT TAKES TO DISSIPATE,
THEY CAN SEE HOW WELL THE ROOMS ARE VENTILATED.
Gina Ruiz: 3,460.
Atila Novoselac: THINK ABOUT THIS AIR AS A HIGHWAY
FOR THESE MICROBIOLOGICAL MATERIALS.
SO THE INJECTED CO2 IS GIVING US INFORMATION
ABOUT HOW MUCH OUTSIDE AIR IS GETTING INTO THE HOUSE.
Narrator: IT'S AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF DATA TO COMPILE
AND ULTIMATELY MAKE SENSE OF,
BUT ALL OF IT MAY HAVE AN EFFECT ON OUR MICROBES.
Martin: THIS IS LIKE THE EARLY STEPS OF EXPLORING SPACE.
WE'RE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S OUT THERE,
OR WHAT'S IN THERE, IN THIS CASE.
AND WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND ALL THE DIFFERENT FACTORS,
SO THAT WE CAN BEGIN TO DEVELOP GOOD HYPOTHESES
ABOUT WHAT'S KEEPING US HEALTHY AND WHAT MAKES US SICK.
Narrator: CONSIDERING WE SPEND 90% OF OUR LIVES INDOORS,
ANYTHING THAT TELLS US WHICH MICROBES LIKE LIVING WHERE
CAN BECOME EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO OUR HEALTH.
SIMILAR RESEARCH IN THE U.S., FOR EXAMPLE,
FOUND THAT MICROBES ON OUR TOILET SEATS--
SKIN AND GUT BACTERIA--
YES, MOST LIKELY FROM FECAL MATTER--
WERE ALMOST INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM THE MICROBES
ON OUR PILLOWS.
YET ANOTHER RECENT STUDY AT A U.S. HOSPITAL,
A PLACE MOST OF US REGARD AS SQUEAKY CLEAN,
FOUND ITS AIR--
FILTERED THROUGH AN INDUSTRIAL VENTILATION SYSTEM--
HAD MORE HUMAN-BORNE INFECTIOUS BACTERIA
CIRCULATING THROUGH ITS CORRIDORS
THAN THE FRESH AIR COMING IN THROUGH ITS WINDOWS.
Atila: SO THE FACT THAT WE HAVE EXPENSIVE HOUSES
AND NICE FURNITURE, WE USE A LOT OF CLEANING PRODUCTS,
AND WE ISOLATE OURSELVES FROM THE OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENT,
IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE'RE HEALTHIER AT ALL,
AND THAT OUR ENVIRONMENT IS HEALTHIER.
Narrator: IF THE TEAM FINDS THAT THE CHECHERTA'S WAY OF LIVING--
OPEN SPACES, NATURAL VENTILATION, LOTS OF SUNLIGHT--
FOSTERS HEALTHIER MICROBES
THAN CLEANSERS AND AIR FILTRATION SYSTEMS,
THAT'S AN EASY FIX.
WE CAN CUT BACK ON HAND SANITIZERS, PERHAPS,
AND OPEN SOME WINDOWS.
MARIA GLORIA SUSPECTS WE'RE WAY TOO COMPULSIVE ANYWAY.
Maria Gloria: WE OVERDO IT.
EXCESS HYGIENE IS PROBABLY NOT GOOD
IF IT DISTURBS THE GOOD MICROBES OF THE BODY, BUT WE DON'T KNOW.
WE HAVE TO SEE.
Narrator: WITH ANY LUCK,
IN THESE VIALS MARIA GLORIA MAY JUST HAVE WHAT SHE NEEDS
TO START PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER.
IN AN OPERATING ROOM IN SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO,
MARIA SANTIAGO ANXIOUSLY AWAITS HER C-SECTION.
AND THE EXCITEMENT IN THE ROOM IS UNUSUALLY HIGH.
C-SECTION BABIES DON'T TYPICALLY GET THE LACTOBACILLUS
AND OTHER PROTECTIVE MICROBES THEY'D NORMALLY GET
FROM PASSING THROUGH MOM'S BIRTH CANAL.
THEIR FIRST EXPOSURE IS FROM OTHER BACTERIA IN THE HOSPITAL,
MOSTLY SKIN, WHICH MAY PUT THEM AT RISK FOR CERTAIN DISEASES.
TODAY MARIA GLORIA DOMINGUEZ BELLO WILL TRY TO INTERCEDE.
SHE'S INCUBATED A PIECE OF GAUZE IN MOM'S ***
FOR MORE THAN AN HOUR NOW.
AS SOON AS DR. KEIMARI MENDEZ AND HER TEAM
REMOVE BABY FROM THE WOMB,
MARIA GLORIA WILL WIPE HIM DOWN WITH THE GAUZE,
AND WITH A LITTLE LUCK, BEAT THE OTHER MICROBES TO THE PUNCH.
Maria Gloria: WHAT NATURE HAS EVOLVED TO DO
IS TO GET THE BABY INOCULATED WITH THE BIRTH CANAL BACTERIA
RIGHT AT BIRTH, BEFORE COMING OUT.
SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE ACT QUICKLY,
BECAUSE OTHERWISE THE BABY WILL BE FIRST COLONIZED
BY STREPTOCOCCUS FROM THE SKIN
AND OTHER TYPICALLY SKIN BACTERIA.
Narrator: NOW, FOR THE MOMENT OF TRUTH...
A BEAUTIFUL BABY BOY.
IT LOOKS SIMPLE, BUT A FEW QUICK DABS IN HIS MOUTH
AND ALL OVER HIS LITTLE BODY, CAN HAVE MASSIVE EFFECTS.
BABIES ARE MICROBE MAGNETS.
EACH NOOK AND CRANNY PROVIDES AN IRRESISTIBLE NEW HOME
TO BILLIONS OF CRITTERS.
MANY OF THESE PIONEERS WILL ESTABLISH COLONIES
THAT WILL REMAIN WITH BABY FOR THE REST OF HIS DAYS,
WORKING WITH HIS IMMUNE SYSTEM
TO KEEP THEMSELVES AND BABY ALIVE.
Maria Gloria: HIS IMMUNE SYSTEM HAS TO BE EDUCATED
TO TOLERATE THE GOOD ONES, THE FRIENDS,
AND TO ATTACK THE ENEMY.
SO IT'S A RACE TO GET THERE FIRST
AND SEND THE SIGNALS TO THE BABY.
Narrator: NOW, EVEN IF MICROBES ARE DIFFERENT
IN C-SECTION BABIES,
THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY'RE GOING TO GET SICK.
GOOD MICROBES MAY WELL FIND THEIR WAY IN LATER.
THEY ARE, THOUGH, AS A GROUP,
MUCH MORE LIKELY TO GET CERTAIN DISEASES--
THE ALLERGIES, ASTHMA, AND OTHER IMMUNE DISORDERS
THAT OUR MICROBES MAY HELP PREVENT.
FOR MARIA GLORIA, THAT'S NO COINCIDENCE.
SHE'LL NEED TO WAIT FOR THE LAB RESULTS,
BUT IF A LITTLE DAB FROM MOM
CAN DELIVER THE RIGHT SET OF BACTERIA TO LITTLE JOSH HERE
AND REDUCE HIS DISEASE RISK,
HER BAPTISM BY MICROBE COULD HELP MILLIONS OF BABIES.
Martin: IF IT WORKS, THIS COULD CHANGE THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE.
WOMEN WHO HAVE CAESARIAN SECTIONS,
THEY MAY ROUTINELY GET THEIR BABIES
COVERED WITH THEIR VAGINAL CONTENTS,
IN ESSENCE REPRODUCING WHAT THEY MISSED
BY HAVING THE CAESAREAN SECTION.
Maria Santiago: MONKEY, MONKEY.
Narrator: OF COURSE, THREATS TO OUR FRIENDLY MICROBES
DON'T STOP AT BIRTH.
FROM STREP THROAT TO EAR INFECTIONS,
BY THE TIME THEY'RE TWO,
KIDS IN THE U.S. RECEIVE SOME 10 TO 20 COURSES OF ANTIBIOTICS.
DOCTORS PRESCRIBE SOME 40 MILLION DOSES A YEAR.
NOW IT SEEMS THESE MIRACLE DRUGS
AREN'T JUST TAKING OUT THE BAD GUYS.
Martin: SO THE QUESTION IS, WHAT ARE WE DOING TO OUR KIDS?
I THINK THAT ANTIBIOTICS ARE MIRACULOUS.
I'VE SEEN ANTIBIOTICS SAVE PEOPLE'S LIVES TIME AND AGAIN.
BUT MAYBE IN TOTAL THE COST IS GREATER THAN THE BENEFIT.
Narrator: STUDY AFTER STUDY IS REVEALING THE COSTS ARE HIGH,
LINKING OUR LOSS OF FRIENDLY MICROBES
TO EVERYTHING FROM DIABETES AND OBESITY
TO HEART DISEASE AND NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS.
STUDIES IN MICE FIND THAT ANIMALS FED ANTIBIOTICS
FROM AN EARLY AGE
GROW SIGNIFICANTLY FATTER THAN THOSE THAT AREN'T.
ONE POSSIBLE REASON,
MICROBES SIGNAL HOW HUNGRY OR FULL THEY ARE.
WITHOUT THEM, THE MICE MAY JUST
KEEP EATING AND EATING AND EATING.
OTHER RESEARCH SHOWS THAT CHANGES TO MICROBES IN THE GUT
AFFECT SIGNALS IN THE BRAIN,
ALTERING A MOUSE'S PERSONALITY BY MAKING IT MORE HYPERACTIVE,
MORE ANXIOUS, AND MORE LIKELY TO TAKE RISKS.
THESE EFFECTS HAVEN'T BEEN PROVEN IN HUMANS YET,
BUT THE CONCERN IS, AS WE PILE MODERN, ANTISEPTIC LIVING
ON TOP OF ANTIBIOTICS, ON TOP OF C-SECTIONS,
THEY'RE ONLY LIKELY TO GET WORSE.
Martin: IT COULD GET WORSE.
EACH MOTHER IS PASSING DOWN LESS AND LESS
OF OUR ANCESTRAL BACTERIA.
AND OUR HYPOTHESIS IS THAT THAT'S WHAT'S FUELING
MANY OF THESE RISING EPIDEMICS.
Maria Gloria: ASTHMA, REFLUX, ALLERGIES--
THESE ARE NEW DISEASES.
YOU KNOW, THEY WEREN'T AROUND 50 YEARS AGO.
IT'S LIKE EVERY GENERATION THEY GO UP EXPONENTIALLY.
Narrator: THE ANSWER ISN'T TO DO AWAY
WITH THINGS LIKE C-SECTIONS OR ANTIBIOTICS,
WHICH HAVE SAVED MILLIONS OF LIVES,
BUT TO FIND SMARTER WAYS OF EMPLOYING THEM
WITHOUT THE COLLATERAL DAMAGE.
PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES ARE DEVELOPING ANTIBIOTICS
THAT TARGET SPECIFIC PATHOGENS
RATHER THAN THE BROAD SPECTRUM KIND
THAT BLAST ALL OF OUR MICROBES.
FOOD AND SUPPLEMENT MANUFACTURERS
ARE TRYING TO PRODUCE PROBIOTICS
THAT HELP GOOD BACTERIA TO FLOURISH.
DOCTORS ARE EVEN PERFORMING FECAL TRANSPLANTS,
WHERE THEY TAKE GUT MICROBES FROM SOMEONE HEALTHY
AND INSERT THEM INTO SOMEONE SICK, WITH DRAMATIC RESULTS.
Lita: THERE'S A LOT OF INTEREST IN THE MEDICAL FIELD ABOUT THIS.
YOU GOT TO THINK OF THE HUMAN AND THE MICROBES AS ONE ENTITY.
THEY ARE US.
AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT WHEN YOU TREAT THE HUMAN,
NOW YOU GOT TO TREAT THE MICROBES.
Narrator: BEFORE WE CAN TREAT ANYONE, MAN OR MICROBE,
WE'RE GOING TO NEED A MUCH CLEARER PICTURE
OF HOW WE WORK TOGETHER.
THAT'S WHY COMMUNITIES LIKE THE CHECHERTA ARE SO IMPORTANT.
Martin: IF THOSE GUYS IN CHECHERTA
HAVE A LOT OF ORGANISMS THAT WE'RE MISSING,
SOME OF THOSE MIGHT BE USEFUL
WHEN IT COMES TIME TO REPLACE THE ONES THAT WE'RE MISSING.
Narrator: OF COURSE, THE OUTSIDE WORLD IS BEGINNING TO FIND
ITS WAY HERE, TOO.
[SINGING IN SPANISH]
IN SPANISH, A LANGUAGE THAT WAS BARELY UTTERED HERE
EVEN A YEAR AGO,
SCHOOL KIDS SING OF WASHING THEIR HANDS AND GOOD HYGIENE.
MEDICINES AND ANTIBIOTICS ARE TRICKLING IN.
WHILE THE CHECHERTA START TO EMBRACE MODERN LIFE,
MARIA GLORIA'S MISSION IS TO PRESERVE LIFE
OF A DIFFERENT KIND--
THE ANCIENT, MICROSCOPIC LIFE WE CONTINUE TO NEED.
Maria Gloria: SO FAR, MEDICINE HAS CONCENTRATED IN DEFENSE,
DEFENDING AGAINST THE BAD GUYS.
BUT IT'S TIME TO THINK IN HOW TO PROTECT OUR FRIENDS,
THE LITTLE GUYS THAT CO-EVOLVED WITH US.
WE HAVEN'T THOUGHT ABOUT THAT, WE HAVEN'T WORKED ON THAT.
WE DON'T KNOW WHO THEY ARE, WHAT THEY DO.
SO WE BETTER LEARN NOW AND UNDERSTAND WHAT IT TAKES
TO DEVELOP FOR THE HUMAN AND THE HUMAN HEALTH.
Narrator: IF WE WANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE WORK,
AND MAKE SURE WE KEEP ON WORKING,
IT'S TIME WE BEGAN ACKNOWLEDGING ALL THE ORGANISMS
WE SHARE OUR BODIES WITH...
ALL 100 TRILLION OF THEM.