And the part of the body most likely to host a microbial community shared by a couple: the feet. The study didn’t examine causality, but the researchers say it’s likely microbes are picked up from skin and bacteria in the home. Most of the bacteria found on skin is harmless or beneficial, preventing pathogenic microbes from inhabiting the area. Other factors, like gender, influence a person’s microbiome even more than proximity to a partner, researchers said. It would be useful to study same-sex couples in the future, as well as couples of various ethnicities and races.

Source: New York Times July 31, 2017 16:48 UTC