Time for a name change

This bit is well overdue……

Science is a process of investigation. We ask questions, find answers, and expand our knowledge. It never stops. Everything we know is under constant scrutiny and re-examination. Sometimes what we thought was the most likely answer turns out to be incorrect, or needs a slight change.

What am I rambling on about? Well when I set this blog up I named it “Ten2one”. I had intended to eventually write a piece explaining the background to this name. Two years on however, it seems the name is no longer accurate. The blog name was derived from a widely held concept at the time; that the number of human cells in our body are outnumbered by the microbes living in and on us (link here). The number of microbes was thought to be ten times that of human cells, outnumbering us 10 to 1.

As microbiologists, this was great news. The critters we study are top of the pile and we live in a world dominated by the wonderful microbes. This figure however was not widely accepted and after much more counting, the actual ratio of human cells to bacteria cells in the human body has been revised down to a 1:1 ratio (link here). This is a great example of the constant improvement in our knowledge, even in a short amount of time. Science never stops.

While this might seem like a big drop, we are still living our daily lives in the company of an equal number of microbial companions. Still though, the new information means I must change the name of my blog. It wouldn’t be good to stick with such an inaccuracy.

In all honesty, I hadn’t spent too long coming up with the first name. This time maybe I can get some good suggestions from you. Please feel free to drop some suggestions into the comments below and I’ll make a change in the coming weeks.…..