ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Human microbiome project

The human microbiome project is like a big adventure to find out who are the tiny creatures that live inside of our bodies. Just like how you have friends and family, we have lots of tiny friends who live on our skin, inside our noses, mouths, guts, and other parts of our body. These tiny friends are called microbes, and they are so small that you need a special tool called a microscope to see them.

Scientists want to learn everything they can about these tiny creatures because they play a significant role in our health and wellbeing. Sometimes these microbes can make us sick, but most of the time they are helpful to us by helping to digest food, strengthening our immune system, and fighting against dangerous bacteria.

So, the scientists have decided to explore all these tiny creatures that live in our bodies by taking samples of our saliva, mucus, blood, urine, and poop to study these microbes. They will use special gadgets to examine their genes, and this will help them understand better how these tiny creatures help to keep us healthy.

The scientists even created a map of all these tiny creatures called the microbiome map, which shows where all these tiny creatures live in our bodies. This map will help doctors and scientists to know the best way to treat diseases in the future by targeting specific microbes that may be causing us problems.

In summary, the human microbiome project is a scientific adventure where scientists explore and learn about all the tiny creatures living in our bodies. They want to know how these little friends are helpful to us and how they can make us sick. By understanding more about these tiny creatures, doctors can help us stay healthy and treat us better when we are sick.