Sentences with phrase «microbes as human cells»

The human body alone is estimated to contain as many microbes as human cells — about 40 trillion according to new estimates; and a few grams of soil may contain tens or even hundreds of thousands of microbial species.

Not exact matches

And perhaps surprisingly, these molecules are not produced by human cells, but by a person's gut microbes as they process food in the diet.

But then ISS itself serves as a home to six microbe - filled humans who stay in orbit for as long as 6 months each and routinely shed skin cells when they exercise, comb their hair, eat, and do other activities that potentially can contaminate their isolated «built environment.»

The researchers say they now understand the mechanism of action of amphotericin, an antifungal drug that has been in use for more than 50 years — even though it is nearly as toxic to human cells as it is to the microbes it attacks.

Ripping a page from the Star Trek script, specialized cells of the barrier that lines the inside of the intestines and airways of humans have invoked a biological version of Captain Kirk's famous command «shields up» as a first defense against invading microbes.

Each human harbors up to an estimated 100 trillion microbes — as many as 10 times the number of cells in the body — that undertake functions ranging from food digestion to strengthening of the immune system, said Knight, a professor in both the Department of Pediatrics and the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at UC San Diego.

These microbes, also referred to as «prokaryotes», are relatively simple life forms, in contrast to the complex cells that we, humans, are comprised of.

The study results revolve around the ancient battle between the human immune system and bacterial invaders, where immune cells strive to recognize bacteria as the microbes work to evade them.