decaturjim:

Explore The Human Microbiome

The human microbiome refers to all of the microbial organisms that reside in the body including bacteria, fungi, and archaea.  Notably, the human body contains over 10 times more microbial cells than human cells.

To illustrate the diversity of these ‘body bugs’, Scientific American have profiled this impressive, interactive map of the key microorganisms commonly identified in the human body and their predominant location.

Interest in the human microbiome has increased in recent years, following reports that the type and number of microorganisms seem to play a role in the onset of several medical conditions including obesity, cancer, and diabetes. 

(via freshphotons)

(via polymath4ever)

Every three seconds 50,000 of your body’s cells die and are replaced. That’s 1 million cells in a minute, 60 million cells in an hour, 1.4 billion in a day, and 525 billion in a year. This means that by age 10 you’ve already lost 5.3 trillion cells, by age 25 13.14 trillion cells, and by age 70 you’ve lost 36.8 trillion cells; not counting, of course, cell loss caused by diseases, infections, and injuries. 

Histologic cross section of embryonic foot of mouse (Mus musculus) in 15.5 day of its development. There are still cells between fingers. (Full development of mouse lasts 27 days.)

There are two basic types of cells: Prokaryotes and and Eukaryotes. 

The prefix “pro-” means “before” and the suffix “-karyotic” comes from the Greek word “karyose” which means “kernel” (as in a kernel of grain), and refers to the nucleus of a cell; thus the term prokaryotic means before nuclei. Basically, any cell that lacks a membrane-bound nucleus is classified as a prokaryote. Usually, most prokaryotic cells are also bacteria and-unlike eukaryotic cells- are not dependent on oxygen and contain few determinable internal structures. 

On the other hand, the prefix “eu-” means “true” or “good” and again the suffix “-karyotic” refers to the nuclei of cells; thus the term eukaryotic means possessing a true nucleus. Eukaryotes (more formally known as Eukarya or Eukaryota) contain complex structures (organelles like mitochondria, chloroplasts, and the Golgi apparatus) enclosed within membranes and are usually much larger than Prokaryotes. Basically, all species of large complex organisms are eukaryotes. This includes animals, plants and fungi, although most species of eukaryote are protist microorganisms.
 

Apoptosis increasing from normal cells (top) to apoptotic ones (bottom).