Bacteria lurking in blood could be culprit in countless diseases
Blood has always been considered free from microbes, because bacteria don’t grow when it is put in a culture dish. But recent DNA sequencing methods reveal that each millilitre of blood in fact contains around 1000 bacterial cells.Bonus related article:
These bacteria are usually dormant. But they can be revived when iron becomes available in the blood, and begin secreting lipopolysaccharides (LPS) – molecules on their cell walls that are recognised by the immune system and stimulate inflammation.
Industrial air pollution leaves iron particles in the brain
If you live in an urban environment, chances are you’ve got nanomagnets on the brain—literally. New research suggests that most magnetite found in the human brain, a magnetic iron oxide compound, comes from industrial air pollution.
