Study Found 1400 strains of bacteria lurk in belly buttons

In a recent study, scientists have discovered that the human belly button is a host to a number of strains of bacteria. Scientists at North Carolina State University in Raleigh have done the Belly Button Biodiversity Project by analyzing navel swabs from 95 volunteers. For study, a team of microbiologists have taken swabs from inside the belly buttons of the volunteers and the results of the study may motivate you to spend a few more minutes in the shower scrubbing your navel. Researchers have exposed their first round of DNA results and disclosed the finding of living some 1,400 strains of bacteria lurking inside the human’s belly buttons. Nearly 662 from those were identified as unrecognized strains.

From 1,400 strains, 40 percent were fairly common species of bacteria that are harmful to the skin. However, the amount of belly button bacteria that found inside volunteers’ belly button assorted relying on how well they scrubbed their navels. Peter Aldhous, a new Scientist journalist rinses his navel regularly and consequently, no bacterial colonies were present there. However, fellow science writer, Carl Zimmer’s navel was a host to minimum 53 different species; some of them had some astonishing provenance. As per the research team, the results are shocking to everyone because people don't have knowledge about the microbial diversity in diverse habitats, including our navels.