Why Human Health is in the Hands of Bacteria

October 24, 2019 • Martin J. Blaser • Time Magazine
illustration of hands holding petri dishes

In the beginning, there were single-cell bacteria. They were the only life on earth for billions of years, then larger cells evolved, then multicellular organisms, and then plants and animals. But the bacteria never went away, and all organisms, including us humans, have had to learn to live with them. Today, the lessons they are teaching us could change the trajectory of human health for generations.