In the Anthropology of Microbes article, the authors, Amber Benezraa,
Joseph DeStefanoa, and Jeffrey Gordon, outline their argument for the inclusion
of a new interdisciplinary subfield of research in anthropology that fuses
scientific knowledge of human microbial ecology with traditionally studied
topics of anthropology to better understand the variations in human health,
biological differences, and predisposition to diseases.
I found this to be a very intriguing
proposition and am very curious as to what extent the available technology can
sufficiently respond to answer the investigative aims of this sub-discipline. The
article is reflective of the main questions explored in this class; the
proposed study of the “anthropology of microbes” could potentially change our understanding
of what it means to be human and reorganize aspects of human life. The study of
human microbe ecology could serve as an enlightening complement to the already
studied cultural, biological, and archaeological sub-disciplines of
anthropology.
The authors’ examples of how differences
in environmental exposure early in a person’s life can affect their microbial
structures seems that it may hold fascinating insights into how social,
biological, and environmental aspect of our lives are related to genetics and
the microbial composition of our bodies. Anthropology could be used as a tool
for helping us to understand how this scientific understanding changing
relations with other humans, microbes, and medicine.
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