The universe around each of us is unique. It’s called the environmental system, referring to what we’re exposed to at the molecular level.
Bacteria, chemicals, fungi, microscopic organisms, … create an invisible universe that always surrounds us, following us from birth to old age.
This universe is called the “exposome” , referring to what we have to come in contact with (expose). Scientists have recently delved into this environmental system and have made many interesting findings.
The universe around each of us is unique.
“Human health is influenced by two factors: DNA and living environment ,” said geneticist Michael Snyder, a member of the research team.
“Humans have identified large-scale indicators such as environmental pollution, but no one has studied the possibility of exposure, chemical and biological exposure at the individual level. We do not know the broad environmental system yet. how big and what’s in it”.
To study an individual’s environmental system, the scientists put small air-measuring devices on the hands of 15 volunteers. Some volunteers wore it for a few weeks, some for a few months, and others, including Snyder, for 2 years.
Scientist wearing an air measuring device.
This device works like a vacuum cleaner, sucking up what is floating around the body. It shows what a person has been exposed to over a certain period of time. Following volunteers, the device collected results from 66 different locations.
The team then analyzed the DNA and RNA of the resulting particles, and then carried out chemical experiments to determine which organism they belonged to. As a result, they built a database of 40,000 different organisms in the environment around the volunteers.
“For each individual, we can make a list of what that person has been exposed to,” Snyder said.
Also according to Snyder, the two people’s environmental systems will never be the same, even if they live right next to each other. Even the toxic substances exposed are not the same.
Through research, Snyder wanted to understand how these tiny, invisible factors affect human health. He thinks it is possible to develop this device into a smart watch so that people can wear and check their environmental system.
The study was published in the journal Cell.