Science A Go Go has an interesting story on the bacteria that live on our skin. I'd heard before that up to 10% were unknown, and the story confirms that with an estimate of 8%. While that might seem strange that we don't even know the bacteria that live on our own skin, what I found even more strange was that this was, essentially, the first molecular study of our skin, according to the lead researcher. They found some interesting variances in the types of bacteria from person to person, and even between the different sexes. While they theorized on a couple of different causes for that, one that they didn't comment on that I would have thought of right off the bat is antibacterial soap. Many of the bacteria that live on us are, basically, essential to our skin, and the constant use of antibacterial products is a relatively new phenomenon. There have been previous studies that show that many of the bacteria that live on our skin have become resistant to antibacterial products, setting a dangerous precedent should harmful bacteria follow suit.

The group plans to follow up on the research with more studies of the human skin and its inhabitants, which should make for more fascinating scientific reading in the future.