科学美国人60秒 SSS 2014-07-02_在线英语听力室

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This year, the number of mobile phones on cell networks is expected to surpass the Earth's population. "More people now own cell phones than actually have access to working toilets." James Meadow, a microbial ecologist at the University of Oregon. Hidden in the data is the reality that some people work on their phones…on toilets.

If that grosses you out, consider this: "So it turns out we're just really leaky animals. We just, we leave our bacteria everywhere we go." Including, of course, our phones.

Meadow and his colleagues took a census¹ of the bacteria on thumbs and index fingers of 17 volunteers—and on their smartphone touch screens. Overall, they ID’ed over 7,000 types.

Looking at just the most common bacteria, those that appear more than 0.1 percent of the time, they found an 82 percent similarity between the microbiomes of fingers and phones. Meaning our phones are a pretty good mirror of ourselves, microbially, at least. The results appear in the journal PeerJ.

"We have always been covered in bacteria… and we will always be covered in bacteria." So the fact that our phones are also covered in bacteria is no reason for concern. In fact, the researchers say that mobile phones may hold untapped potential as personal microbiome sensors². App developers, take note.

Thanks for the minute, for Scientific Americans 60-Second Science. I am Christopher Intagliata.

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收听单词发音

1 census
n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查
参考例句：
A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。 The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

2 sensors
n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )
参考例句：
There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。来自《简明英汉词典》 Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时，有很大变化。来自辞典例句

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科学美国人60秒 SSS 2014-07-02